In order to promote positivity and unity in the area of Fisantekraal, residents along with the University of the Western Cape (UWC) have organised a futsal tournament to be held in the area this week.
Joey Appolis says the community has been playing the indoor version of football since May and on Thursday, June 30, there will be a special tournament at the Fisantekraal Centre.
“The kids in the area have been playing since May as a way to stay active and on June 16, we had a tournament here where a lot of people came out to support them,” says Joey.
“It has really become a bonding experience for the community but we need tournaments to bring in the bigger crowds, so we are hoping for a big turnout on June 30.
“We had some protests here in the area recently so it is good to have things like this to bring some positive energy to the area.”
UWC Psychology Professor Maria Florence said the tournament will serve a dual purpose as it will also help their research regarding the importance of sport to youth in underprivileged areas.
“This research project aims to increase the representativeness of African youth in psychology by exploring a variety of psychological variables among emerging adults in Africa,” Maria says.
“Our aim is to gain a better understanding of the life experiences, personality traits, mental health and values of emerging adults across Africa.”
Joey says the teams are hard at work practising while there will also be trophies for the best performers.
“With the previous tournaments, the boys were really excited by the presentation and that made them want to play even more.”
junior.bester@inl.co.za