User:TopCoach/West Cape Socca Playas` Union

1 - Contact:

WEST CAPE SOCCA PLAYAS UNION PO BOX 4018 CAPE TOWN 8000 EMAIL cape.socca.union@gmail.com WEB https://www.picasaweb.google.com/cape.socca.union WEB2 https://sites.google.com/site/swiftphototours/home/3rd-cape-town-peace-cup-2 MOBILE 0027-72-4607677

2 - Executive Summary:

WEST CAPE SOCCA PLAYAS UNION = WCSPU, promotes formerly disadvantaged footballers and athletes from South African townships, also from general public and other African countries.

The wealth of local talent is amazing yet needs channeling into better and more regular training habits, expanding the football practice to road-running, cycling, swimming and other endurance sports.

Life-skills are taught in monthly meetings and extra-mural courses on such subjects as "Improve IT knowledge for athletes", "Improve job-prospects", "Improve health education"!

WCSPU runs alternative coaching clinics to assess individual preference of athletes/playas, and on how to expand ball skills, endurance and strategic vision.

WCSPU has established an annual 6aside competition, called CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP.

The Union wants to build on this success which unites teams from various townships and Cape Town suburbs, to run the PEACE CUP in a more organized league format. WCSPU invites teams from farther afield, too, not only on regional but also on national and international level.

Aspiring playas and athletes become organizers and leaders now, and learn alternative management or job techniques to further their future prospects.

WCSPU aims to establish an overseas exchange with a European club or sports association. This includes cultural exchange and language training.

2 - How it all began:

As a photo-journalist and ex-midfielder, Ralf G Will has been involved in football and other team sports for more than 30 years.

That is on club and university level.

In 2005, the idea of a Union for disadvantaged footballers in the Western Cape was born and some informal meets took place in Cape Town and Green Point.

Ralf G Will runs the Union as a branch of his CC, Swift Photo Agency, registered in South Africa, and charges membership of R 150 per year. The Union now includes a representative in the Eastern and Northern Cape.

After World Cup 2006 in Germany the Union expanded and held regular meetings on 1st Firday of every month in central Cape Town. Meeting place is the Kurdish restaurant BARANS on Greenmakret Square in the heart of the city.

In 2008, WCSPU was invited to coaching clinix by PSL club Ajax Cape Town and 4 playas went on trial there, 1 at neighbouring PSL club SANTOS, and 1 at local NFD 2nd division club.

The Union got in touch with streetfootball division of Bundeliga club Bayern Munich in southern Germany, called Bunt-Kickt-Gut.The WCSPU was invited to send a team to their inofficial 2010 streetfootball world champs, held every year in southern city of Munich.

The project temporarily faultered when monnies for the flight tickets went missing, ca Euro 9000 for team of 7 (5 playas and 2 subs) and 2 technical staff. Accommodation, local transport and food would have been sponsored by the southern German hosts.

WCSPU also received an invite from Bundesliga club TSG Hoffenheim to participate in a youth exchange. That project came to a stop when their manager was sacked.

In November of 2008, WCSPU held the first CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP for 6aside teams.

The 2009 CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP, played in a round-robin and a subsequent knockout round format, moved to Wynberg and shared the field with FAGA, goal-keeping academy by FAROUK ABRHAMS.

15 teams had registered in U-17 Juniors and Plus-19 Senior divisions, which were both taken by KHAYELITSHA UTD. 2nd were the WYNBERG SOMALIS ahead of a hotel staff team from WINCHESTER MANSIONS.

The 2010 CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP was held in Salt River and the CENTRAL CITY SOMALIS won it for 1st time. AFRICAN STARS, a mixed bag of playas from Tanzania, Burundi, DRC and Kenya, came 2nd, while KHAYELTISHA UTD came 3rd.

The 3rd CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP was held in Rosebank at UCT´s Astroturf on 23 June, 2012. It was the winter edition of this 6aside tournament, played across half a socca field on handball goals. Winners were TEAM KILIMAJARO, followed by TEAM CAMEROON and best U-19s, TEAM RETREAT.

Find photos of 2009 CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP winners here: https://picasaweb.google.com/cape.socca.union/CAPESOCCAUNIONCAPETOWNPEACECUPON22NOV#

Find photos of 2010 CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP winners here: https://picasaweb.google.com/cape.socca.union/2NDPEACECUPFOR6ASIDETEAMS#

Find promotional page for 3rd CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP here: https://www.sites.google.com/site/swiftphototours/home/3rd-cape-town-peace-cup-2

Find promotional webpage for 4th CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP here: https://www.sites.google.com/site/swiftphototours/home/4th-cape-town-peace-cup

Find story of Khayelitsha Uinted`s 2009 CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP win in Three Cities Hotel Group`s Newsblog  http://blog.threecities.info/search-blog.php?q=February%202010

See also magazine article from French weekly, France Football, 11 June, 2010: "Afrique du Sud: Le Cap; Le Mirroir a deux faces" See also newspaper article from German daily Frankfurter Neue Presse, 09 July, 2010, "Sprungbrett fuer bettelarme Talente" See also newspaper article from German daily Soester Anzeiger, 09 July, 2010, "Fussball in Sued Afrika: Bad Sassendorfer berichtet." See also newspaper article from German daily Braunschweiger Zeitung,09 July, 2010, "Braunschweiger hilft Fussball-Talenten aus Afrika",

3 - Goals:

WCSPU´s main objective is to IMPROVE FOOTBALL CULTURE IN WEST CAPE PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA.

This means that yet unknown athletes will get easier access to professional circles, that formerly disadvantaged athletes have better understanding of tactics and techniques, and it means a raising of game by more efficient training schedules and better networking opportunities for various role playas in our sport.

It would not only lift level of game, but also level of acceptance by fans and others, even foreign sports bodies and clubs.

WCSPU promotes DISADVANTAGED footballers, including asylum seekers, refugees, street kids and ex pro-playas from other African countries, who have experienced social rejection and marginalisation, and who have only limited access to quality training grounds.

The annual 6aside CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP should become a more organized league structure, staged over numerous weekends/match days.

It should eventually be called the official 6 ASIDE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP OF WESTERN CAPE.

And later that of South Africa.

4 - References:

Find photos of playas promoted by WCSPU here: https://www.picasaweb.google.com/cape.socca.union

Find photos of 2009 CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP winners here: https://picasaweb.google.com/cape.socca.union/CAPESOCCAUNIONCAPETOWNPEACECUPON22NOV#

Find photos of 2010 CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP winners here: https://picasaweb.google.com/cape.socca.union/2NDPEACECUPFOR6ASIDETEAMS#

Find story of Khayelitsha Uinted`s 2009 CAPE TOWN PEACE CUP win in Three Cities Hotel Group`s Newsblog  http://blog.threecities.info/search-blog.php?q=February%202010

See also magazine article from French weekly, France Football, 11 June, 2010: "Afrique du Sud: Le Cap; Le Mirroir a deux faces" See also newspaper article from German daily Frankfurter Neue Presse, 09 July, 2010, "Sprungbrett fuer bettelarme Talente" See also newspaper article from German daily Soester Anzeiger, 09 July, 2010, "Fussball in Sued Afrika: Bad Sassendorfer berichtet." See also newspaper article from German daily Braunschweiger Zeitung,09 July, 2010, "Braunschweiger hilft Fussball-Talenten aus Afrika",