Hordes of talented netball, hockey and rugby players from 24 schools across the country recently made their way to the HeronBridge Sports Complex for the inaugural Standard Bank HeronBridge Invitational.This year’s event welcomed 15 netball teams, 19 hockey teams and 16 rugby teams to the HeronBridge grounds in Fourways, Johannesburg, many of whom would have otherwise not had the chance to play against one another.
“Up and coming schools can find it difficult to gain access to traditional sports festivals that often only cater for the more established sporting schools in the country. Our festival now gives these schools an opportunity to enjoy a prestigious event that covers all three of the winter sports codes in one event, allowing them to showcase their talent and play against a diverse range of first and second teams from across the country,” says Natasha Marot, Marketing Manager at HeronBridge College.
Kicking off with a Development Day, over 200 U13 players had the opportunity to boost their skills and take full advantage of coaching clinics run by some of South Africa’s best names in sport, including SA Rugby Legends Jon Smit, Gcobani Bobo and Ian McIntosh, renowned SA hockey umpire Michelle Joubert and SA hockey specialist Owen Mvimbi, and SPAR Protea netball players; Jessica du Plessis and Tshina Mdau.
“I think events like these provide opportunities for kids to participate in more than just one sport. I think kids this age should not be specialising in one particular sport, because the more sport they get involved with, the more they develop their interpersonal skills and leadership skills, get rid of stress and just generally set themselves up for life, which is especially important after two years of Covid-19,” says recently retired international field hockey umpire, Michelle Joubert.
Two years under strict lockdown restrictions have also caused disruptions to school sports, impacting young players’ physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Ofentse Moeng, Head of Sport Development at HeronBridge, echoed these sentiments, saying that spectator sports were missed by learners, their parents and teachers alike.
“The atmosphere this weekend was absolutely electric. You could definitely tell that schools and pupils, families and even spectators as a whole have missed having these events just by the sheer number of people who attended. In our first day there were over a thousand spectators,” he said.
Lianne Williams of Vuma, which was an event sponsor, said that while sport is essential for the development of learners of all ages and backgrounds, Vuma was particularly thrilled about the inclusion of schools who are not typically afforded these opportunities.
“Our goal of empowering South African youth with opportunities to reach their full, extraordinary potential was realised through this event,” she said. “The Development Day was particularly heart-warming, as it was inclusive of so many young players who got the time to play their hearts out alongside their peers, as well as schools like Kagiso’s rugby first team and The Peacemakers’ netball first team who were hosted during the festival.”
