By Nangamso Mabindla
6 July 2004

THERE were smiles all round when four Buffalo City sports clubs received equipment worth R500 000 from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund at the Buffalo Park cricket stadium on Monday.

The clubs Winterose, Siyakhula, Ilitha and Thembalabantu are all part of the Active Community project, which aims to identify talent in the city's impoverished areas.

This initiative - which was developed in 2001 with the assistance of the Australian Sports Commission - helps underprivileged teams develop their players' skills.

Thoko Mlonyeni, the regional manager of the Australia Africa 2006 programme, said success had come from teamwork between the project and the Eastern Cape Academy of Sports in the Nelson Mandela Metro.

A visibly excited Bernice Butlion, from the academy, said when she saw the plight of the youngsters she was moved to ensure the application was a success.

"I'm very close to this project. I have attended some of their games in the villages; it's not good seeing how disadvantaged those kids are compared to their more elite counterparts," said Butlion.

Mlonyeni said: "When we applied for the assistance from the NLDTF we approached the academy for help. They made the application for us to the fund; when Bernice phoned to inform me our application was successful, I was elated."

The clubs received cricket, rugby and netball gear from the fund.

"I'm so happy for the youngsters; they can now look forward to games without worrying about affording equipment," added Mlonyeni

Butlion said the new equipment was only the start of good things to come.

The academy was going to put in another application for its capacity-building programme, because being a sportsman took more than just equipment.

"With our capacity-building programme, we supply training, education and life skills. These are needed when one aspires to be a complete sportsman," she said.

"The Australians have been very successful with these kinds of programmes and we can only learn from them."

Bonani Mangxola, a volunteer at Winterose club, said he was happy his team had received new gear. "Now our boys will have more confidence in us coaches and take sport seriously; they will not have time to commit crime."

He thanked the project and the academy for giving young children from his township, Mdantsane, the opportunity to dream.