Being crowned as the 2024 champions of the Stellenbosch LFA First Division showed the strong character of the training4changeS’ first team.
This inspiring group of high school boys overcame numerous challenges to win their first title in men’s football and, in doing so, they outscored their opponents by more than 40 goals with their exciting style of play.
“The NGO has been working in Stellenbosch since 2013 to provide more than 1 800 children with coaching, academic support and mentorship,” said co-founder Daniel Thomae.
“We always look for the lesson and we are immensely proud of these boys and the way they responded to adversity throughout this season. Winning their first title reflects training4changeS’ commitment to helping young changemakers reach their full potential through sport.”
The boys, all 18 years and younger, are inspiring young leaders and fantastic soccer players. The coaches do an incredible job with the children, and being victorious this season is just an example of how a diverse group of people work together and, how the boys continually defy the odds to rise above their difficult surroundings.
“This title is a good sign that we are going in a positive direction,” said first team coach Siyabulela “Steve” Qangule. “I am so blessed to be part of these boys’ lives, and its a good feeling to see them smiling. It’s encouraging to be the champions.”
Team co-captain Earl Jacobs thanked Coach Steve for pushing them through the year. Although still in school they sacrificed a lot of their time to be on the training field and not neglecting their schoolwork. He also thanked his teammates for giving everything and said it is indeed a privilege to be league champions.
The First Division triumph comes after training4changeS’ under-13 boys were also crowned Stellenbosch LFA champions, and the under-11 boys missed out on the age group title following a gut-wrenching penalty shoot-out loss in the final.
“A credit to the whole training4changeS organisation,” said under-13 coach Lorenzo Claassen.
“None of this would be possible without us working together. It is a very sweet moment for the boys. They can be proud of their hard work during the year. We want to build on of this and create similar success stories for girls through soccer as well.”
training4changeS is an internationally acclaimed NGO based in Stellenbosch that provides a unique blend of high-level soccer coaching, quality education, and mentorship to empower young changemakers. It is was the first African NGO to earn accreditation in education outside the classroom, and has twice been ranked the top African NGO using sport for peace and social justice.
The organisation runs a boys’ soccer academy and school teams for girls.
- Visit the website or the NGO’s social media channels to find out more. Alternatively, contact Daniel Thomae on 071 474 6554 or daniel@training4changes.org.
