Hub Athletic in South Africa
In March, four young men from the Hub Athletic football team based at our Waterloo Hub, spent two weeks with Oasis South Africa. We caught up with Tim Broadbent, Oasis’ Sports Development Worker and Hub Athletic Coach, to find out more.
Tell us about Hub Athletic
The team is made up of young men aged 16-21, training every Friday evening. It's a time where there is not much provision for young people in the area and therefore can result in high levels of youth crime. We use football as a vehicle for personal and social development. Hub Athletic is a great football team too - league champions this year!
Why South Africa?
Last year, an Oasis donor helped send three of the team to India to do football coaching for homeless kids.
Being exposed to another culture and poverty was as good for them as it was for the kids we went to work with.
Oasis works in South Africa alongside a local community football team – a bit like Hub Athletic. And with the World Cup coming up, it seemed to make sense to do it again.
What did you do when you were there?
We worked with a local community football team to run free football coaching. Every day we met with the kids, led warm ups, ran drills and played short games. On the last day of the football camp we ran a tournament. Around 200 people turned out in support - it was brilliant to see how sport brings people together. It was a great way to finish.
What were your highlights during the trip?
The biggest highlight for me had nothing to do with football! We were told on the day we arrived that instead of having a tour of the Oasis Health Clinic, that we would be running it because all the support staff were needed for training!
It was an antenatal clinic and we turned up at 7.30am to 60 mothers and babies waiting for vaccinations. The Oasis Clinic is the only free clinic in Cosmo City [the area Oasis South Africa is based, north-west of Johannesburg].
The lads got stuck in assisting the nurses, weighing babies, dealing with urine samples as well as playing with a lot of bored kids. It was amazing to see.
That sounds great! Have you noticed any changes in the team since you arrived back?
One of the players, James, had just lost his job and is due to appear in court on charges of threatening behaviour. During the trip we were able to talk to him about what was going on in his life. Within two weeks of getting back he had a new job.
All the team have said that going to South Africa has boosted their confidence and has taught them new skills. Two of them now want to get involved in charity work when they are older.
What does the future look like for Hub Athletic?
We’re growing all the time. Every Friday at training we have around 20 young men trying out for a squad of 14. We need to start a second team but don’t have the funding yet. We’ll need a second kit and someone to run it. We also want to go away on a residential program this summer too.
Thank you to everyone who made the trip to South Africa possible. It would not have been possible without your generous support. You can watch video reports of Hub Athletic’s trips to India and South Africa at www.oasisuk.org/news
Names have been changed.