Children of the Future

Wildlife photographer Sabina van Stralen was so inspired by her visit to one of the South African communities in which SCORE operates that she has created and produced a wonderful album documenting the happiness, pride and trust the children have for the future because of the work of organisations like SCORE.

Sabina briefly visited the Khayelitsha community in South Africa whilst on business. She was so taken by the joy and pleasure of the children as they played and participated in SCORE programmes that she drifted from the group and took lots of photographs. Once her feet were back on Dutch soil she decided to take action. Her dream was to create a photo book which showcases the positive impact SCORE’s Sport and Development work is having in the community.

In March 2010 Sabina returned to South Africa, where she stayed with a host family in Mapuve, a small town in Limpopo province. She spent her time shadowing a SCORE trainer and documenting the goings on in the community with her camera. Once back in the Netherlands she made her dream come true.

The book ‘Children of the future’ contains over 150 A4 pages of touching pictures and very personal stories from communities in which SCORE is active. The wonderful thick cover and high quality print makes it a collector’s item and would therefore make an excellent corporate gift. Sabina has decided very generously to donate a large part of the sales revenues to SCORE.

Theresa Le Roux, SCORE South Africa National Manager said, "We are very grateful to Sabina for taking this fantastic initiative and for her generous support of SCORE activities. Not only is the book telling our story but it also shows the world the power of Sport and Development. The children, youth and communities in which we operate will benefit immensely from her work."

For more information download the following:
Flyer - Children of the Future
SportLokaal 3 - Juni 2010

Reserve your copy through: info@sabinavanstralenfotografie.nl

The price per book is €39.99 (discounts are available for bulk orders)

Partnerships for SCORE Netherlands

SCORE Netherlands is proud to highlight two partnerships: Sportstimulering Nederland and 3rd Half. Though both focus on different aspects of development, the new partnerships will help SCORE expand its programmes across the globe.

Sportstimulering Nederland

Sportstimulering Nederland is a young and innovative organisation that strives to offer children from all walks of life the possibility to play sports. Sportstimulering Nederland has developed programs through which Dutch primary school children can register for introductory courses with local sports clubs for only €6.

By reducing the costs and making it more accessible to enroll with a sports club, children are encouraged to try different kinds of sports and find out for themselves what they like. Sportstimulering Nederland also wants to create awareness amongst the participants about the power of sports in other parts of the world. Playing sports and being active is equally important for a child in the Netherlands as a child in Southern Africa.

Sportstimulering Nederland will donate €0.50 to SCORE for every child that registers for an introduction course

For more information, visit: www.sportstimuleringnederland.nl

3rd Half

The ‘3rd HALF partnership allows SCORE to join a network of organisations, companies, media and government partners focused on making a strong contribution to the social impact of the World Cup.

The 3rd Half is powered by NCDO (National Committee for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development) and informs sports clubs, companies, sports federations and Dutch supporters about the various opportunities to make a contribution to these sports programmes.

Examples of how to contribute are: matchmaking via the 1%Club, a business challenge, clublinking, exchange programmes and tailored partnerships. For more information about these programmes visit: www.3ehelft.org/nl/voorpagina/english/

SCORE is understandably excited about these new partnerships as they allow the organisation to grow and develop. These new links make new opportunities available to SCORE to expand its horizons and be recognised as a leader in Sports and Development in Southern Africa.

Cup of Heroes 2010

As preparations for the FIFA 2010 World Cup™ reach fever pitch, hundreds of South African youth from disadvantaged communities across 4 provinces will compete in a unique "scoring for social change" competition this weekend that showcases sports talent and the power of sport to change people’s lives and build communities. This year the theme is "Celebrating Diversity: A single bracelet doesn’t jingle"

This unique competition called The Cup of Heroes is organised by SCORE, a leading sports and development organisation in Southern Africa and is now in its 4^th year. Community teams register a team of 30 participants, players (under 16) and youth leaders (under 26), that competes in football, netball and volleyball on the field, as well as scoring points for cultural displays, fair play and community service. One of the highlights this year is the 2010 Partner Country project, for which each team has been assigned a country they must research and then present in a display of song, dance and drama, which is especially significant this year as the world comes to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup^™.

Download Press Release

Get involved in the SCORE Cup!

The SCORE Cup is a community-based football competition taking place during the period of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. There are three ways in which you can get involved in this unique holiday program, and be part of the legacy of this important year for South African youth.

The SCORE Cup

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, all South African schools will be closed. SCORE, an African-based Sport and Development organisation, has developed a unique holiday program in order to provide structured activities for children and youth during this period.

The SCORE Cup aims to involve more than 10 000 children and youth in more than 50 communities throughout Southern Africa. Designed in consultation with community sports leaders, this unique football tournament will see 32 mixed teams (boys and girls) drawn to represent one of the 2010 FIFA World Cup nations.

How to get involved

There are three ways in which you can get involved in the SCORE Cup:

About the SCORE for 2010 campaign

The SCORE for 2010 campaign has been designed to share the excitement of the 2010 FIFA World Cup with ordinary South Africans in the rural and disadvantaged communities in which SCORE operates. The campaign was officially launched on March 31^st in Khayelitsha, and will culminate in the SCORE Cup finals on June 26th.

Football combats exclusion

Chris Middleton, SCORE for 2010 Communications Coordinator, recently visited a community in Hillbrow and filed this report on the use of football to combat social exclusion, xenophobia and other related issues. The innovative programme is implemented by the Bidvest Wits Football Club Foundation, and is being supported and monitored by SCORE.

FOOTBALL has the capacity to unite… In this case, the beautiful game is used to address the marginalisation of children living in Hillbrow, a deprived quarter situated in the heart of Johannesburg.

Reaching out to the marginalised through football

Hillbrow is the inner city residential area situated in the heart of Johannesburg. Commonly known for its high level of unemployment, crime and poverty, the area is populated by people of various nationalities whom have been attracted to Johannesburg seeking employment opportunities which have not materialised. Risks of ethnic division and xenophobia are ripe in such a socio-economic context.

Against this background, an innovative programme is being carried out to address risks of the social exclusion of children living in Hillbrow; where football is used as a means to engage youth from the schools, the shelters and the streets of Hillbrow.

Soccer training sessions are provided on a regular basis for these youth, offering them the possibility to interact in a safe environment. Mr. Moyo, Head of Life Orientation at the Izenzo Community College said, "Through this project, most of our learners feel they’re part of this society. It gives them the opportunity to interact through football activities, and also meet children from other schools. Despite the fact that they are from different countries, they feel they fit into this society, and this is especially important in Hillbrow, where there are so many different backgrounds."

There is a life after a football career

Weekly football training sessions are carried out by the Soccer Legends – former football players willing to give back to the community through what they know best: football. These community coaches deliver basic soccer and life skills training with children from the schools and shelters.

Sisters, doing it for themselves!

Leading figures in women’s football came together to discuss issues affecting the development of the sport in South Africa and the United Kingdom during the visit of adult and youth women leaders from The English Football Association (FA), in a seminar held at Cape Town’s Athlone Stadium, on 8th May. The was event organised jointly by Coaching for Hope, the British Council, SCORE and the City of Cape Town inviting representatives from sport associations, clubs and NGOS exchange stories, voice opinions and learn from each others’ experiences about the challenges facing the development of women’s football in the two countries.

A common theme throughout the day, echoed by the many speakers and leaders, was that there is still a huge funding gap in the development of women’s football. Described by the FIFA president Sepp Blatter, as one of the world’s “largest and fastest growing sports,” representatives from the FA confirmed that in the UK, budgetary spending for the sport has improved as sport administrators and sponsors realise the potential of women footballers, but that is far from being on par with the men’s game.

SAFA (South African Football Association) Cape Town President Norman Arendse agreed that men’s football is dominant in South Africa and that the funding and opportunities far outweighs those given to the women’s game. After hearing the passionate and determined voices of the delegates at the seminar, Arendse vowed to help bring this issue of disparity to the SAFA agenda for their AGM in July 2010. A unanimous conclusion of the seminar was that more pressure must be placed on SAFA, government departments, associations and clubs to provide opportunities for female footballers to play, both at a recreational and professional level and they must take responsibility for developing the “Beautiful Game”.

Representatives from inside the profession, included Astrid van Kesteren, goalkeeper of the South Africa national team, Banyana Banyana said, “I am thrilled to hear that sponsorship is now swinging from men’s football to women’s, significantly raising the profile of women’s football to new heights”.

Perspectives of the game were also shared by writer, activist and former athlete Cheryl Roberts, who was of the opinion, players should “show that you are the change.” Leadership and influence was a major theme during the day long event with calls for players to be role models to help encourage more women to play football but also to empower women to make a positive change in their own lives.

The inspiring day heard everyone from players to coaches’ share their challenges of playing a male dominated sport and left participants with practical actions to further develop women’s football.

Fund'racing' for SCORE

Motivation for competing in a sports event can be driven by anything from achieving personal goals to testing physical endurance. For Brian Kerby, Managing Director of adidas South Africa, the chance to share with others the opportunities that sport has given him, spurred him on to complete a gruelling 226 km Ironman triathlon race to raise funds for SCORE to build a multi-purpose community sports facility.

After visiting a community facility in Khayelitsha, on the outskirts of Cape Town in the Western Cape, which had been build in partnership with SCORE and adidas, Brian witnessed first hand the positive impact a sports facility can have on a community. He saw that the children in the community were provided with a safe environment in which to learn, interact and play with others. In addition it also encouraged children from the surrounding areas to be involved in organised sporting activities.

Sport remains an important part of Brian’s life and he said, "The wonderful people I have met; the successes on the field; my health; my fantastic job; the skills I use today; all these I owe to sport and it remains an integral part of my life."

Brian described his fundraising effort on behalf of SCORE as an incredible journey, which saw him dedicate months of hard work to training and fundraising.

After the race, Brian said, "It was hard work to get here and a huge feeling of relief, satisfaction and achievement. It has been a tough five weeks, where things didn’t go so smoothly. I am therefore very proud to have achieved a time of sub 12 hours." Despite injuries in the weeks prior to the race, Brain earned a respectable finish time of 11.56.06.

On the day of the event spectators were reminded that these powerful athletes are heroes. Dedicating endless hours to training despite juggling full time jobs, families and for many competitors, like Brian, fundraising for charity.

For Brian, the end of IRONMAN does not mark the end of his race. With over a third of his target complete, Brian said, "The drive to reach my fundraising target is still ongoing and I won’t stop until we hit the magical R324 000 mark. At the end of the day I’m really chuffed but I’ll be more chuffed when the guys start paying. They know what I’ve done now, and now they must do something."

Brian’s efforts on behalf of SCORE are truly admirable and SCORE would like to thank Brian for his continued support and for his superhuman effort to help us Change Lives through Sport.

You can follow the story of Brian’s fundraising journey and support his fundraising initiative at www.ironbrain.org