Dear Friends of VUSA
The 2017 season has by far been the best for our development programme. We have gained much exposure to the public and the number of boys has increased enormously.
Rugby
We are very proud to have teamed up with Busy Bee Rugby Football Club, which has enabled us to play our rugby fixtures in the Western Province League. We played away games against Rondebosch Prep. and hosted Bishops Prep. in what will surely become two memorable events in the history of our programme.
Rugby Coaches
2017 saw the following 9 coaches employed from the broader Langa community from where we run our programme:
Siyakholwa Soci - Head of U9
Likhaya Kalini - Head of U10
Siyanda Menqene - Head of U11
Siya Zwelindaba - Head of U12
Mak Kahla - Head of U13.
Jessica and Masimdumise - in charge of warm up and extra activities
Nosipho and Bukelwa - two ladies who help us prepare meals for the boys
Associate Schools
Our rapid growth has seen us able to fill two sides an age group from under 9 to under 13 through partnerships with the following local schools:
Siyabulela Primary 75%
Thembani Primary 15%
Moshesh Primary 7%
Mokone Primary 3%
Parent Support
Parent involvement - or lack thereof - has been a struggle in the lives of talented, black children for decades. Parent involvement plays a huge role children’s lives. Poor communication processes between schools, parents and children hamper development in all aspects of life. However, we should give credit to the parents who do communicate and are happy for their children to be part of this programme. We look forward to further developing this aspect of the programme.
Vusa Achievements in 2017
- One of our top athletes took up a bursary for Grade 9 at SACS High School.
We have reached our target of fielding two teams per age group.
We have joined the Western Province League.
We have won 70% of our games.
Our programme has become a safe, caring home away from home for many children.
Tournaments and outings
We have been invited to many tournaments though our becoming well-known in Cape rugby circles. Among the many outings and matches played, some of our most memorable were:
Bishops Spur 7s
Warriors Academy 10-a- side
Ultimate Rugby 7s
False Bay Curtain Raiser for Gold Cup Match
WP vs Lions Semi-Final at Newlands
Coaching Clinics
During the year a some opportunities for the boys have stood out:
The University of Cambridge visit
Visit by Ex-Springbok Players
The introduction of Tag Rugby
Physical Education
We introduced PE into our program to improve the health of children and develop this area of life-skill. We focused on different ball skills, dynamic movements and body awareness. There was some success in this part of the programme and we will implement it more consistently and formally next year.
Connect Partnership
Our ongoing partnership with Connect Sports Academy meant boys enrolled with the Connect Academy were able to train, play matches and be part of the academic programme on a weekly basis. Connect provided VUSA with expertise in the form of coaching staff, and made a significant contribution in terms of player numbers and skill, which saw our U13 team being able to compete with (and often win against) the best junior teams in the league. We hope to continue with this symbiotic relationship well into the future, and we thank Connect Academy for their support and vision during 2017.
Academics
The grade 6 and 7 boys have been attending English and Mathematics lessons at Bishops during the year. In the lead-up to their exams they have had the opportunity to prepare by going through old papers, and we predict that this will be helpful in terms of their year-end results. Generally the boys tend to be stronger in terms of their level of English than they are in the Maths classroom. Basic skills in Maths is an area on which we look to focus going forward. Boys have been enthusiastic and conscientious and we have managed, through excellent teaching contributions of Melanie Handley and Siya Zwelendaba to keep class size down to a maximum of 15 boys. Individual attention is often required and small classes has allowed us to achieve this.
An exciting development for 2018 is that we gain the expertise and use of the Edunova facility which operates from the LEAP School alongside Langa stadium. This will enable us to add an Information and Communication Technology element to the classes, which will include Maths, English and extend to Science. Each boy from Grade 4 to 7 will have the opportunity to attend classes where extension and consolidation of school subjects will occur. Further extension in ICT will take place on Fridays for a selection of boys. Grade 3s will also be attend introductory lessons as they begin the programme.
The academic element of the programme is undergoing considerable growth as it will be able to accommodate 180 boys in an extended syllabus in 2018. We are certainly excited about the developments.
Crèche
2017 was another successful year for the VUSA Crèche program in Langa. It started with VUSA adopting two new crèches and incorporating them into the program - Gege’s Crèche and Nomonde Crèche. Our goals were to target physical education as an element of the young children’s life-skills. All the activities were well planned and structured. This was due to the coaches attending a coaching course earlier this year and the new knowledge being implemented in the coaching plan. Besides the activities being educational and structured, the children enjoyed every single moment they had with the coaches. The faces that light up when the children see the coaches walk into the grounds is priceless.
The VUSA crèche program has helped dozens of people including the staff who look after the children. The 60 minutes that the children are with the VUSA coaches gives the staff time to prepare for upcoming activities in the class. The coaches have received much gratitude from the parents and even from tourists who walk past Dalukhanyo Crèche grounds from where we have operated for the past two years.
“My experience was enjoyable. I had a great time teaching the little ones. Every time I went to the crèche, they cheered for us. Children were happy to see us. It is a real life changing experience. It taught me how to handle children.” – Siyakholwa Soci (VUSA Coach)
Our Social Media Presence and Statistics
Find us on: Web/mobile: vusarugbyacademy.com
Facebook: facebook.com/VusaAcademy
Twitter: @VusaAcademy
Instagram: @vusaacademy
Due to our highly shareable content, great partnerships with sponsors and other academies and successful introduction of video content we are looking to continue to improve on our 252 Facebook followers (Accumulative reach: 19 075) and over 429 unique visitors to the VUSA website.
Top reach Facebook posts
Google Search - Page 1
Twitter and Instagram Posts
VUSA on Phaka Rugby Show on SuperSport
Mak Kahla appeared on the Supersport Rugby Show Phaka where he was part of a panel which discussed the role of VUSA and other development programmes in the development of South African Rugby. It was a proud moment for VUSA!
Our Sponsors
We extend our sincere gratitude and thanks to our sponsors and partners who are vital to our operational functioning as VUSA. Our founding sponsors CALULO and sponsor Investec Asset Management ensure that all operational costs are covered. This includes transport, kit, equipment, outings and coaches salaries.
Our partners Shoprite and The Lunchbox Fund take care of all boys’ meal requirements. Much appreciated meals are given to all participants daily.
Shoprite hosted their annual boerewors championship winners event at the Langa stadium this year as part of their partnership with VUSA. This was a wonderful day with our VUSA boys mixing with past and present rugby stars. The undoubted hero of the day was Bakkies Botha, his off field persona a far cry from the hard man on the pitch! The day was a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when big corporates get involved in community projects. The winning boerewors proved to be a winner as the VUSA boys gobbled down meters of the delicious wors.
Bishops offers facilities, expertise and serves all administrative functions.
The model we have created allows all stakeholders to play a key part in bringing the VUSA programme to all participants.
We would like to take the opportunity to thank all for the vital role their companies and organisations played during the 2017 year. We look forward to growing and expanding our partnership going forward into 2018.
We wish all a happy festive season and look forward to the successes of 2018.
The VUSA team
