Unity And Ubuntu
Natalie Claasen, South Africa
Goal Click and the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) teamed up to tell the inside story of KNVB WorldCoaches programme in South Africa, through the eyes of local coach Natalie Claasen in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town.
KNVB WorldCoaches is based on the Dutch football philosophy that children learn to play while having fun. WorldCoaches are local community coaches educated to organize football activities in a way that contributes to fostering personal development, health and social cohesion for children and youths from disadvantaged backgrounds. KNVB has educated more than 15,000 WorldCoaches worldwide, of which a quarter are female coaches.
In South Africa following the 2010 World Cup, KNVB WorldCoaches has educated about 2,500 local community leaders to become WorldCoaches for the townships and local youth clubs - in partnership with NGOs such as Run4Schools in Cape Town.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your current football life?
My name is Natalie Claasen. I am 23 years old. I have been working as a coach at Run4schools and at a primary school in the neighbourhood of Tafelsig in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town. Run4schools place us in different primary schools.
I teach Physical Education and coach during school and after school. At the after-school program we run different sports programs and help the children with their homework. A typical day for me is working from 9am until 2pm and then the after-school program from 2pm to 4pm. At school I specifically work with children aged 7-15.
What has been your football journey up until now?
My football journey started in primary school - I'm not sure, but I think I was 9. With my friends we used to make soccer balls with plastic and paper. One day a letter came around to each class saying, "if there are any girls interested in playing girls football, they should come prepared the next day to try out". I will never forget that day, I was so excited for the next day. The next day finally came and I was prepared - I got into the school's team football.
At first when the coach called me and told me I had made it I couldn't believe it because I knew nothing about football. But as the years went on, I became better and better. I then started playing for a foundation next to our school. We then played street football and we joined a league where most of the primary schools in Mitchells Plain played together on a Wednesday.
My love for football continued in high school. We played in football leagues there also, but one of my worst memories was when me and a few girls from my high school were chosen to go to Turkey. Unfortunately, I could not go because my parents did not have the money to cover my expenses. I'm currently working with children at a school. I love working there, and I get to share my story with them.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?
I was trying to show the beauty of football - it brings the community together, allows players to express themselves, and teaches them about teamwork and how to share. The photos were taken in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain and Woodlands in Cape Town – in small parks, in the community, and at school.
I showed the children that I interact with on a daily basis. Some of them are children and older boys that I pass on my way home. Some of them are coaches and a team in Woodlands that plays mixed boys’ and girls’ football.
There is one boy who started playing soccer a few years back, just when I started working for the school. He was a very naughty child, he never wanted to listen until one day when I got them for a PT period. I gave him a ball, and the things that child did with the ball were amazing, he really shocked me. That showed me that through football you can express yourself and let your anger out.
What is your favourite photo? Why?
One girl reminds me of how I used to be in my younger days. She is so eager to learn more about football, and her goal is to one day play for big football clubs in South Africa and to play in the World Cup. We have very close relationship. She always comes to me whenever she needs help with anything. I am trying to assist her with her goals by training her in the afternoon and giving her advice on which schools to attend, so that she can continue her soccer passion.
Why is football important for your community?
Mitchells Plain is a nice place to live, but it comes with a lot of challenges. Mitchells Plain has a very high rate of poverty and there is also a higher rate of unemployment. Many children in our community don't have a safe environment to play. The area has a high rate of gangsterism - young boys fall into the trap of gangs. Some of them are forced to be in a gang - if they refuse, sometimes the gangs threaten their families. We also have a high rate in drug abuse in Mitchells Plain with young children aged from 10 upwards.
Football is important to our community because it keeps our young people off the streets, and it keeps them mentally and physically fit. Football is sport that brings people together. When people watch and play soccer, they forget about their problems for that moment.
Football plays a big role in South African society because it brings joy to the country, and it brings the nation together through unity and Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a term meaning “I am because we are” – it is all about respecting one another, no matter the race. It's a Xhosa term for humanity. We can see it on sports fields and in stadiums.
What does football mean to you? What ambitions do you have for the future?
Football is important to me because it helps me express myself in different ways, it also helps me make split second decisions. And I am very happy when I play football. My ambition for the future is to find happiness in football - and to learn more than I know and to teach what I know.
I want to become a foundation phase teacher (teaching from reception to grade 3) but I'm still looking for a bursary. I also want to coach at a higher level. If I'm a qualified teacher I still want to be a coach at the same time.
What impact has the WorldCoaches programme had on you?
WorldCoaches made me the coach that I am today. It taught me how to communicate through sport. It made me a more confident coach and it taught me how to work as a team. It also helped me to plan my day better as a coach. I learnt about creating small games and it made me coach better than before.
It also taught me that coaching is not just about sports, but it's also about life skills and talking about each other’s backgrounds. I also listen to everyone’s ideas - WorldCoaches taught me that a coach should always ask questions. WorldCoaches has had a big impact on me.
How do the children that you train benefit from playing football?
The children that I train benefit a lot from playing football, because football teaches you to play as a team and to share. It benefits them physically and mentally. They also get to learn new skills, and they make new friends.
The individual benefits are often different. Some children could not play soccer and now they became the best players in the team. Other children had anger issues and bad conditions at home, but now they had a way of expressing their problems through soccer.
What do you think the future looks like for football in South Africa? What do you want to change?
The future of football in South Africa is looking promising, but there should be more clubs in the local areas. There should be more female coaches because some girls may not be comfortable with male coaches. And they should train more female coaches for male footballers too.
What are the opportunities for female footballers in South Africa?
In South Africa there is not a lot of opportunities for female footballers because the level of women’s football and the investment is not on the same level as for men. Women’s footballers in South Africa are going to other countries, because here in South Africa most of them are not seen. I am trying to contribute towards the rise of female footballers because through football they can get a lot of opportunities. My aim is to plant the small seeds for big growth.
