More than 200 people recently participated in a fundraising klawerjas drive by Idas Valley Athletics Football Club (AFC). The klawerjas drive raised funds for its senior and junior teams.
This is according to Ryan Jumat, chairman of Idas Valley AFC.
The klawerjas [dominoes] drive was hosted at the Idas Valley Stadium Clubhouse on 5 August.
“[The klawerjas drive] is a games evening where people can come together and enjoy playing darts, playing dominoes [and] playing games,” said Cheswell Groenewald, secretary of the club.
Each game cost R30 to play, said Groenewald. The club also had a R20 raffle with boerewors rolls and refreshments being sold, he stated.
The evening was a “huge success”, according to Groenewald. “We made more than we expected to make and we ran out of supplies [for our boerewors and refreshments stand], so we had to buy more.”
The over-35 side of Idas Valley Athletics Football Club donned new kits for their match against Maties Football Club on the night of the club’s klawerjas drive, said Ryan Jumat chairman of the club. The over-35 side played a huge role in the night’s festivities. PHOTO: Na’ilah Ebrahim
As part of Idas Valley Athletics Football Club’s klawerjas drive, the club had a R20 raffle with prizes. Winners were announced every 20 minutes. Boerewors rolls and refreshments were also sold at the event. PHOTO: Na’ilah Ebrahim
A drive with a purpose
The two main purposes of the klawerjas drive were buying playing kits for the over-35 team and training equipment and transport fees for the junior teams, said Jumat.
“Most of the kids are disadvantaged when it comes to equipment and to pay their seasonal fees. [Which is why] we have started to generate funds – to accommodate them,” said Groenewald.
On the night of the klawerjas drive, the over-35 Idas Valley Athletics Football Club (AFC) side played against Maties Football Club. “It is a big derby,” said Cheswell Groenewald, secretary of Idas Valley AFC. Groenewald, who participated in the game, said that the end result was a 2-0 win for the Idas Valley club. PHOTO: Na’ilah Ebrahim
“The klawerjas drive is also about bringing that old school flavour again,” added Jumat. “We are trying to attract those old football enthusiasts and to bring back what the Stellenbosch [football community] has lost through the years.”
Financial struggles
The biggest struggle that the club faces is financial support, said Jumat.
Despite approaching retailers and businesses, the club has been unable to secure sponsorship for its feeding scheme and team kit, stated Jumat. This is why the club has turned to the community for support, he explained.
“This particular community [Idas Valley] is the people that sustain your business,” he stated.
“We are one of the biggest clubs in the [Stellenbosch] community,” said Andre Adams, vice-chairman of the Idas Valley Athletics Football Club. “What we are trying to do [with the klawerjas drive] is to give back to the club, into the community, so that there [are] opportunities for children that don’t have money.” The club was established in 1932 and will turn 90 next month, he added. PHOTO: Na’ilah Ebrahim
‘If you don’t have juniors, you don’t have a future’
Idas Valley AFC has six junior teams and has played a role in developing the skills of its junior players, “pointing them in the right direction”, said Groenewald.
“It’s not only about soccer – it’s about developing strong leaders in the community,” he stated.
Ryan Jumat, chairman of the club, said that he hopes that the club will be able to improve its administration and secure sponsorship to pave a way for not only the club, but the community as a whole. “We [also] want to instil old school values in our kids [such as] discipline which they can take to school,” he said. PHOTO: Na’ilah Ebrahim.
The club also donates food parcels and hosts a soup kitchen on Saturday mornings to feed children from their junior teams, he added.
“We stand for the youth – no youth, no future,” said Frederick Sampson, an Idas Valley AFC supporter and pro-league player. Sampson grew up in the area and has played for the club for a number of years, he said.
“Football means a lot to the Idas Valley community,” said Laughton Barends, an Idas Valley Athletics Football Club (AFC) supporter (left). Frederick Sampson (right), a pro-league player and supporter of the club, and Barents attended the klawerjas drive and were in good spirits watching the over-35 Idas Valley AFC side on the night. PHOTO: Na’ilah Ebrahim.
Pictured above are Rhodes Benting (right), Michael van Kerwel (middle) and Winston Poel (left), Idas Valley Athletics Football Club supporters. Van Kerwel said that his family is a big fan of the club. “Our family is green,” he said. PHOTO: Na’ilah Ebrahim.