The results of the Partnership programmes in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban earned huge praise from the South African Government, the South African Police Service (SAPS), the South African Football Association and support from the 2018 World cup bid team.

The partnership between CACT the Metropolitan Police and British Airways with funding from the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) started in 2003 and uses football as a vehicle to educate young people and drive down crime and promote community cohesion in some of the most deprived townships in South Africa. The 7 year programme has seen the UK partners work in 3 areas, train up 69 Schools officers, 191 football coaches and educate and coach 3,600 young people. CACT has helped set up 3 community programmes at BidVest FC, Ajax Cape Town and AmaZulu who are all Premier League Soccer Clubs. Ajax Cape Town now has 4 full time staff and works in 120 schools. Modelling their Community programme on Charlton Trust they are seen as the beacon of success in South Africa and work alongside the Police to drive down crime and disorder.       

Jason Morgan said “We are immensely proud of our achievements in South Africa over the past seven years and were pleasantly surprised by the enormous support there is in South Africa for what we have achieved and continue to achieve. The partnership with the Metropolitan Police, British Airways and the FCO has shown how a multi agency approach can make a real difference and impact within communities in South Africa

The success of our programmes in Cape Town and Johannesburg in particular has been well documented but there is now a real impetus to replicate these programmes on a national basis in South Africa within Government and the South African Police Service (SAPS).
 
The main focus of the discussions that took place during the recent trip were:

• National School Officers to support education to ensure young South African children achieve their full potential.
• The cementing of strategic partnerships relating to crime and disorder and the introduction of integrated safer schools panels.
• The concept of using sport against crime, working in partnership with professional football clubs and other sporting codes and governing bodies.
• The creation of community schemes within football clubs and other sporting codes to work in the community safety arena.

In addition to the above there was:-

• An endorsement and a commitment to the objectives set during the trip from the Deputy Minister for Sport and Recreation, who also arranged two vital meetings with the President (Kristan Nematandani) of the South African Football Association (SAFA) and the Chairman (Irvin Khoza) of the Premier Soccer League (PSL). These 2 meetings lead to an endorsement of the programme and agreement from the President of SAFA to our request to create a ‘community coaching course’ in partnership with the twinning programme as an entry level football coaching course to enable community coaches to be able to support their local police service in driving down crime through the power of football. In addition there was a pledge to see community coaches linked to clubs across the country (Essentially the 16 PSL clubs but also within the 381 local football associations). There was agreement that sport must play its part in community safety and that SAFA will work alongside National SAPS on the ‘Sports against Crime’ concept as presented and will work towards announcements in May 2010 ahead of the World Cup.         
• A commitment from SAPS to:-

• Change policy and to support schools policing nationally.
• Adopt /create the bespoke twinning programme schools officers training course at the National training college to ensure the continued roll out of schools officers.
• Co-train 24 SAPS trainers with the UK team in Durban in March 2010. This will enable the trainers to deliver the course in the 9 provinces.

During the meeting with the SAFA president an invite was extended for him and other colleague to attend the delivery week in Durban in March when the UK partners will coach 1,800 children from 16 schools, deliver education workshops and run a coach education programme for 22 candidates.
 
If that wasn't enough there was also time for the delegation to train 31 coaches to be able to deliver the ‘community course’ that the Trust delivers.  Each coach is linked to one of the three South African football clubs involved and means they will be able to run these courses at their own clubs and create pathways to employment at the community departments within the clubs they work.
 
The success of our work in South Africa means that discussions have commenced with the 2018 bid team on how the work in South Africa can support Englands`s bid to host the World Cup and can demonstrate legacy work.  
 
It is hoped that all the work delivered in South Africa over 7 years will lead to a lasting legacy and have a real impact in communities once the biggest competition in the World leaves Town.