To ensure that young children in the community who are interested in soccer are catered for, St Francis Bay resident, Gairon de Bruin, established a junior soccer team, which has helped the young members stay away from negative elements in the community.
The Eleven Bullets soccer team was established at least four years ago for young people aged between 19 and 25, with Danie Duiker as the head coach.
The soccer team has seen great success since its establishment, which has seen them participating in the Sarah Baartman Promotional League.
Since the soccer team mainly catered for young adults, De Bruin saw that there was a need for a junior soccer team, which would allow children to develop their skills as soccer players and evade the negative elements in the community, which is filled with crime and drugs.
One year ago, he created an Eleven Bullets junior soccer team for young children aged between nine and 12.
“My community has a huge problem with crime and drug abuse, and it was important for me to find a way to distract the young children with positivity to help them stay away from the bad elements they see around them,” said De Bruin.
He said since the junior team was established quite a few children have joined.
After noticing De Bruin’s efforts to establish the junior soccer team, local company, Jean Hugo Construction, St Francis Bay, has allowed them to use an open field close to the company’s premises for their training sessions.
“The children enjoy playing soccer and wait eagerly for me at the soccer field on days that we train,” said De Bruin.
In the last year, the team has been hard at work and was able to win silver at the Easter Weekend Tournament in Oyster Bay earlier this year.
They are now preparing for a soccer tournament on June 16, which will take place in Kruisfontein.
De Bruin said over the next few years they will continue training with the team in preparation for them moving to the senior team when they are old enough.
He said the junior team did not have much equipment and often played soccer games wearing the soccer kits of the players in the senior team, which were too big for them.
Furthermore, De Bruin said they needed soccer balls, soccer boots, and soccer training cones.
“We would be so grateful to receive any donations which would benefit the children in the soccer team,” said De Bruin.
- For more information contact Gairon de Bruin on 083 547 8737 or Serano Jakops on 078 203 0384.
