Football icon Doctor Khumalo and Bafana Bafana assistant coach Kwanelo Kopo, both products of school sports, have called for its revival in townships so that future stars can be nurtured early on.
The two legends believe that the country is unable to develop the stars of tomorrow because of the lack of school sport.
Khumalo was discovered through school sport at a young age and went on to become a household name in the country and Europe. He says Bafana Bafana and Premier Soccer League (PSL) teams are unable to produce youngsters because there are no longer proper development structures in place.
“It is a setback for soccer in schools as they do not have that kind of impact,” Khumalo tells Sowetan.
“It had been a township norm when it comes to Wednesdays and we used to brag in Soweto about how many professional players our schools had. School sport gave us direction and it was a yardstick in terms of players being signed by professional teams because this is where the scouting started.
You are depriving individuals of an opportunity to blossom. They must do the right thing to reinstate school sport
“Some players went on to represent Moroka Swallows, Orlando Pirates, and Kaizer Chiefs after being scouted at schools in townships. So school sports used to be a hunting ground for scouts, and plenty of talent used to be there. It is so sad to watch and observe that there is no school sport anymore. It used to be big in the townships and so many individuals came through the system.”
The 53-year-old former Kaizer Chiefs legend emphasised that the lack of school sports was robbing pupils of an opportunity to make a name for themselves like other stars, including Sibusiso Zuma, Helman Mkhelele, and Augustine Makalakalane.
“They must bring back school sport if we are to have a future in the sport as a country. Get everything that is supposed to be done and get people who walked that path to be part of the programme.
“You are depriving individuals of an opportunity to blossom. They must do the right thing to reinstate school sport,” Khumalo says.
Kopo says that it is a privilege to work with Bafana Bafana head coach Molefi Ntseki, also is a product of school sport.
Kopo was a chief scout at Rosina Sedibane Modibo Sports School in Pretoria. He urged the sports ministry to prioritise the development of school sport in the country.
“I think if we are to lift it back to the standard that it used to be, it will provide a good platform for a lot of talent that is not being discovered by academies. School sport played a huge role in terms of the pipeline for talent but most important also, I think it is vital for football development or any other sport, you cannot separate education from the sport," Kopo says.
“Of late, there has been a disconnect of football development and schools because some of the kids that go through academies try to think that they can make it without going to school.
“I think that marriage between school education and school sport is important because most kids go to school, and it is the biggest platform to develop and produce talent.”
Kopo added that to be where he is today, it is because of the school sport.
“Some of us our coaching pathway has also been crossed, through school sport, I have coached in-school competitions. I’ve gone abroad from being a product of a school sport. Coaching in school competition gave me, and the learners, international exposure.
“I think children are, denied these opportunities, and coaches are missing the opportunity to develop themselves.”
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