Kids from a Kuils River football club are set to compete in an international under-11 tournament in the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago, in April next year.
The tournament is organised by CU Micaelense Football, a football club based in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel in the Azores. The club’s general director, Arsénio Sampaio Furtado, met with the Newman’s Football Club in Kuils River on Sunday.
“He briefed the parents, he did a presentation with them on what the tournament is all about,” said Newman’s Football Club founder Nathan Newman, 31, of Highbury.
He was introduced to Mr Furtado through Pedro Dias, the Portuguese-born director of the Premier Soccer League club, AmaZulu FC.
“Mr Dias introduced me to him virtually, and we started discussing all things football. He was impressed with our club’s growth in such a short space of time and invited us to his prestigious tournament,” said Mr Newman, who works as a school-enrichment co-ordinator for the metro east education district and registered the club in 2022.
“Now we have 221 boys and girls at the club, from under-7 to under-18. We have got one of the biggest clubs in Kuils River in terms of players that are part of the club. We are giving them a platform to play against big clubs in Cape Town. Trying to change the game.
“So there’s lots of growth at the club; we are growing very well. And it’s for a community. There’s still great chances for our less fortunate kids.”
The club has players from Mfuleni, Wesbank, Kalkfontein and Delft, and it also runs a training programme for under-7s at the Excelsior Street basketball court in Highbury.
This will be the club’s first international tournament.
“We are quite fortunate that our players only need to procure their flight tickets as meals, accommodation and transportation are all covered by the tournament committee for every participating team.
“We appeal to any company or business owner to please contact us if they would like to assist us. We would gladly give them the necessary brand exposure by printing their company logo on our playing kit or tracksuits,” Mr Newman said.
For more information contact him at 083 759 8102.
