Who we are What we do - Connect Sports Academy

Non-Profit Company (NPC)
Reg. No. 2012/057683/08
6 Bellevue Road, Gardens, Cape Town,8001
Who we are
The CONNECT Sports Academy falls under the CONNECT
Community Development Project - a registered non-profit
company with direct experience in youth development.
For the past seven years CONNECT has been involved in
the initiation and operation of community development
projects including sports and recreation, youth
empowerment and enterprise development.
We are currently focussing on three sports: rugby, boxing
and chess. In 2015, we will be channelling most of our
energy into rugby development due to the great success
we’ve had since establishing the academy in 2014. We
have realised a real need for rugby development in the
community where we work. The impact the opportunity to
play sport has on the lives of young people is immense.
What we do
We offer a holistic academy experience for children and young adults in
Khayelitsa. We teach them the fundamentals of the sport through touch
rugby and enter leagues to allow the group to compete at least once a
week. Our mixed team of boys and girls aged nine to 19 play every
Wednesday at 18:15 in the In2Touch League at Villager's in Claremont,
Cape Town. There are 40 teams in the league, which consists of five
divisions. The sides we compete against range from high schools to
corporate clubs.
Our aim is to expand into contact and Sevens rugby in 2015 as well as
reward our younger players (Under-10s) with their own touch team in a
league with those their own age. We want to use this as a platform for our
young and dedicated players to go to trials for Craven week. We aim to
establish a league in Khayelitsha as we continue to raise awareness of the
sport.
We will also launch a dedicated girls touch team. For those
who excel at rugby, there are a number of bursaries which
allow them to strive for a career out of sport while
maintaining their academic study. These opportunities are
integral to our plan.
From a social perspective, we believe sport is a vehicle for
ending inter-community conflict. We have already seen this
within our Academy set up. Our children come from a number
of different areas. Many of these are rival communities but
our kids play, train and socialise together.
We also offer life experiences in the form of day outings,
educational trips, attending live rugby matches and medical
care when required. To us, a team approach is as important as
Non-Profit Company (NPC)
Reg. No. 2012/057683/08
6 Bellevue Road, Gardens, Cape Town,8001
an individual approach. This is why we focus on building relationships with the parents/guardians of each
player and why we drop them at their doorsteps after an event.
We believe in merit based selection both for the team and for these outings. Only those who regularly attend
training make it to our matches and the team decides who gets picked in our weekly squads. For outings, only
those who train and play regularly are selected. Our training comprises skill and tactical work, as well as
conditioning and fitness.
Why we do it
We do it for the kids. That’s where it CONNECTS. But we also do it to make a difference in the
transformation of South African sport. There are no rugby leagues in Khayelitsha and the
resources that do exist are often misused. Without basic opportunities and experiences, sport
in South Africa will not transform. It is also a way to broaden the horizons of our academy kids.
By offering them both a means of belonging as well as educational experience, they are
exposed to a wider world that many of us take for granted. Simply knowing about career
opportunities beyond the ones they have been exposed to is a huge part of making the
academy successful.
What we need
Our biggest expense is transport. Because facilities and league structures in
the community are non-existent or misused, we often need to train outside
of Khayelitsha. We also need to transport our kids to their league games and
we try and offer outings as reward for our most dedicated players.
Transport costs:
We require a basic R1200 per week to get our teams to their Wednesday and
Friday matches. Transport runs at R600 per trip for the whole team and we
would like to budget for five trips a week in total, to allow for any additional
events or training days our team might need to attend.
On Sundays, we train at Green Point Park in Cape Town alongside the
Western Cape Touch Coach, Labeeb Levy. Our kids make use of the MyCiti
bus, which runs at R30 for a return trip. The number of players attending
these practices range from 10 to 20, meaning we budget for an additional
R600 per week.
We are searching for somebody to sponsor a vehicle so that we can offer an
employment opportunity for the driver hired at the moment. Until then, our transport costs run at around
R12 000 per month.
Food:
Because we offer a holistic academy experience, we ensure that our players are fed at every training session
and after every match. For many, this is the only meal they will have that day and we try to make it as
nutritious as possible. These meals are home cooked by CONNECT Volunteers or supplied by the ICafe
Incubator, which is one of the partners of the CONNECT Community Development Project. We have set the
budget at R300 per session at a minimum of four sessions a week, although we budget for at least five days
should we have an outing.
Food costs per week: R1500
Non-Profit Company (NPC)
Reg. No. 2012/057683/08
6 Bellevue Road, Gardens, Cape Town,8001
Coaching courses:
We believe in enhancing experiences of both our academy players and those who volunteer. Both of our lead
coaches have basic qualifications, but we want to further enhance our coaching skills as well as the skills of our
academy players. We would like to encourage our main coaches as well as some of our older players to attend
the following courses:
IRB Level 1: R600
Refereeing: R200
First Aid: R2000
Kit:
As our academy continues to expand, we need kit
sponsorship. The requirements for touch are small
compared to contact rugby. For the touch team, we always
need boots as new players join the squad while our younger
players grow out of their boots. These are usually once-off
donations which we have been fortunate enough to source
through social media.
However, as we expand our academy, our needs become
more nuanced. We envision having 50 players in our contact
academy (including Sevens) and we will require the
following:
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Scrumcap x 50
Gumguard x 50
Shoulder/Chest pads x 50
Jersey x 50
Shorts x 50
Socks x 50
Boots x 50
Kit bags x 50
The jerseys and boots that the team currently use will become too small as the players are growing. These can
be passed down to players in the Academy and used as training ground kit. We also need the following training
equipment:
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Scrum machine
Tackle bags
Rugby balls
Whistles
Cones
First aid kits
Flags
Over and above what we’ve listed above, we need to bulk our players up once we start playing contact rugby.
We will focus heavily on nutrition through protein-rich smoothies and will require additional protein
supplements to ensure our players get the nutrition they need. We also realise the need for medical aid
hospital cover, should any player pick up an injury. This will further underscore to the parents that we are
dedicated to making the lives of these kids better.
Non-Profit Company (NPC)
Reg. No. 2012/057683/08
6 Bellevue Road, Gardens, Cape Town,8001
Toiletry bags:
Because many of our players come from extremely poor backgrounds, they do not have the basics that many
of us take for granted. We require toiletry bags with the basic essentials: body wash, deodorant, toothbrush
and toothpaste. For our female players, we will also require sanitary ware in these bags.
What we offer our sponsors
First and foremost, sponsors will know that they are making a tangible difference in the future of South African
sport. Two of our academy players, who joined us only in January 2015, were called up to the Western Cape
Touch team in March.
From an advertising perspective, we have branding available on our shirts, shorts and on our website. We also
offer the opportunity for sponsors to distribute branded kit bags, towels and toiletry bags.
Additionally, we have access to a media distribution list in order to offer our partners a press release tailored
to their audience which can be written and distributed by us. Our Academy and Volunteers also have over
20 000 Twitter followers between them, meaning further exposure to your brand via social media channels.
Should you wish to discuss a branding opportunity for anything mentioned above or any other form of
donation, please contact our public relations officer Antoinette Muller on:
antoinette@connectcommunity.co.za