Lavender Hill footie club on fire
SUCCESSFUL: Lavender Hill FC won several titles
“A community with the greatest talent, we will rise above our circumstances.”
That is the positive outlook from Lavender Hill Football Club, which made history for themselves by winning several top spots in the South Peninsula LFA.
The club from the gang-affected area were crowned the Under-8 KnockOut champions, U12 Grand Challenge champions, and KnockOut champions.
They also claimed bragging rights as the U14 League champions, Grand Challenge Champions and Knockout champions, as well as the U16 League, champions, Grand Challenge and KnockOut champions and U18 League winners.
Their senior teams won the 1st Division League Champions, 1st Division Grand Challenge Champs, as well as finished Premier League runner-ups and Premier KnockOut champs.
Club secretary Ralph Bouwers says that they achieved these amazing successes without a proper training facility.
“We trained with gunshots flying over the field. We have a field with holes and glass bottles. But to achieve this [success], we invest in the kids and we give them an alternative to gangs and drugs,” he explained.
Bouwers says Lavender Hill FC have won 15 trophies out of 20 throughout the league season.
Much of the club’s success is also due to former professional footballer Erwin Isaacs, who coaches them.
“We had a broken team, maar ek het die huis weer opgebou en die structure van die juniors reg gemaak. It really is amazing to work with them,” Isaacs told the Daily Voice.
Lavender Hill FC, too has caught the eye of Safa Cape Town president Bennett Bailey: “Their leadership under the stewardship of Mark Bouwers assisted tremendously, because either they were in every final or winning it. This shows the tenacity that’s needed in young people. I wish them well in their games.”