A Real Awakening!

Former Springbok and representative of the Western Cape eLan SA Rugby Legends, Dale Santon, has announced the kick off of an unprecedented rugby transformation initiative to take place in Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Gugulethu, Langa, Mitchells Plain, Manenberg and the Southern Suburbs.

The Vuka (Awakening) tournament will involve 64 schools from around Cape Town, most of which have never been involved in rugby before. Each school will be supplied with a set of jerseys which are co-sponsored by local and international organizations. Vulindlela, I&J, Santam, Deloitte, the JDI Foundation, Sentinel International Trust, Veritas Wealth, Trellicor Group, Lancelot Developments, the Sports Science Orthopedic Clinic, Office National, Power Group, Adlab and Britefire, and are all sponsoring teams in the Vuka league. The league is divided into eight zones with eight teams participating in each zone. Each school will play at a selected school venue their zone every week on a Wednesday.

"This project represents true transformation" says Santon. "It's about taking 1400 kids away from the streets and the gangs and putting them onto a sports field. Imagine there is a boy out there with talent, who will now have a coach, kit, fixtures and may even play at Newlands for the league final in front of a big crowd at the end of the year. It has been so rewarding for all of us to get behind Gerald Njengele and Ismail Teladia (Dept of Education) who had the vision to put this together."

Gerald Njengele who is head of schools at WP Rugby and a principal of the Langa High School said, "It was critical that each school was given their own jersey, with their own colours and school name on it. We want the boys to have a sense of pride in the institution they represent. They do not have this at the moment. Also everything that we are doing flows into WP Rugby structures so we are creating a pool of players and supporters in relatively new areas."

The structures put in place via the Vuka League may also have benefits extending beyond rugby. "Probably the greatest legacy we will leave behind will be the committees in each zone", says Barry O' Mahony (UCTRFC & JDI Foundation). "There is no reason why those committees cannot arrange fixtures in other codes simultaneously. What we have learned from Ismail Teladia, who is a driving force on our committee, is that "extra curricular" activities in these schools are all but dead. Our goal is to get the teachers back coaching teams and get many of the rugby loving parents back and involved directly with the schools."

SA Rugby Legends together with the Dept of Sport and Culture and WP Rugby intends to roll this project out on a U16 and U14 level as well, and there are plans for a ladies team in each school. "Whilst the funds for the U19 league have been raised this year, the assistance of the Department of Sports and Culture as well as private partnerships will be necessary to raise sufficient funds to cater for participation on this scale", says Mike Barr (Chairman of the SA Legends Cup Committee).

The Ubombo Society together with UCT RFC will be providing coaching support to the Vuka league throughout the year. The coaching initiative was launched in February when Geoff Crowster of WP Rugby and his team coached 100 coaches at IRB Level 1 in the various League areas. The first round of the Vuka League will finish on June 11th at which time the local committees will choose their representative sides and coaches who will play in the Mega 8 tournament, playing for the Legends Cup. The final of the Mega 8 will be played at Newlands on the 3rd October 2009 as a warm up game for Western Province Currie Cup Match against Boland.

"We are delighted to be involved in such a great grass routes Under 19 project", says Cameron Dugmore, the outgoing minister of Sport and Culture. "When we heard about it through the SA Rugby Legends we jumped at the opportunity to help what we see as a truly sustainable model for transformation in sport".