No place to play for football academy
Mtuba Football Academy (FA) was locked out of the school premises.
AFTER utilising a local school field for more than eight years to provide sports opportunities for children in surrounding communities, Mtuba Football Academy (FA) was recently locked out of the school premises, allegedly without any reason.
Sheldon Hughes, who runs Mtuba FA on a voluntary basis, received a letter in November from the School Governing Body (SGB) informing him that from January he would no longer have use of the school field for training.
‘If the chairperson had given me reasons, I’m sure we could have resolved any issues before training started this year,’ said Hughes.
He did learn that the SGB was concerned about the lack of toilets at the field and security when the gate is left open during training.
Hughes said these problems were easy to solve and he has already secured funding to construct a toilet at the field.
Failing to get reasons for the school’s change of heart before training commenced in January, Hughes went ahead with the first two sessions.
Thereafter, the remotes for the school gate were re-programmed, denying Mtuba FA access.
Chairperson of the SGB, Senzo Masuku, confirmed that a lack of ablusion facilities on the field was their main concern, finances also played a part in the decision.
‘Parents rejected our 2014 budget twice, saying it was too high and asked us to trim it,’ said Masuku, adding that the maintenance budget, among others, had to be cut.
‘Maintaining the field is costly and even more so when it is used every Saturday for training and the children’s boots damage the grass,’ said Masuku.
The SGB is happy to reopen discussions with Hughes, but had hoped this decision would prompt the Mtubatuba Municipality into providing permanent facilities for the academy.
Mtuba FA provides valuable soccer training for children in and around Mtubatuba, with some attending training from as far afield as Empangeni and Richards Bay.
In 2014, 125 children were registered with the academy and they competed in major tournaments.
A number of major tournaments are planned for the upcoming season and talent scouts are scheduled to attend training sessions to possibly select Mtuba FA players for district leagues.
Hughes is planning a protest outside the school on Saturday.
