Launch of the ‘Are you Game’ Primary School Basketball League and Life Skills programme
Tiger Brands and the African Youth Development Fund (AYDF) have teamed up and refurbished 8 basketball courts in Mamelodi and Alexandra townships. This Saturday 30 October, we will launch a primary schools basketball league and life skills programme for 20 primary schools from these two communities.
In the 2010 pilot phase of this programme we will graduate over 1000 primary school youth from our modular life skills programme and we will have over 200 male and female players from 20 primary schools competing in our basketball league.
We would be honored to have you attend this groundbreaking event where we will be conducting a basketball and life skills clinic for over 200 primary school learners.
Are You Game Launch Invitation (doc)
Press Release – Are You Game? (doc)
Information provided by Michael Finley
I’m not sure how I feel about this! Who is Alexandra Basketball Association? Are they affilliated to GBA or JBA? Is the Gauteng School Sport aware of this programme and are they involved? Will this end up like another LoveLife basketball programme?
I agree. We need some sanity in ball in SA. There are too many mavericks(guys just using bball to make money)
this is just very goooooood!!!
politics in sport is the very reason why Basketball dies, affiliation affiliation why do they need to be? I say 8basketball courts refurbished in the townships, hell yeah, this is what the affiliates fail to do!!! Yes!!!
Dumzer
Some of us have been in the game long enough to know that nothing is as it seems. If not handled correctly marketing events such this can do more harm than good in a long term eg LoveLife. Also, why is it that we expect BSA to be ACCOUNTABLE and yet we do not want to be ACCOUNTABLE, instead we hind behind POLITICS?
Really????? Obama talked about people that stand in the kitchen while the floor is wet and complain about how wet it is rather than picking up the mop!!! Sound familiar??????
First of all, thanks to mybball and Victor for supporting our initiative. We have been able to convince another sponsor to “Try Out” the game of bball and use it as a vehicle to help us change lives and hopefully set the example for how the game can be developed. We (Miles & Associates and AYDF) know how to do this and we have proven it in the past. LoveLife was a wonderful program because we had over 740 coaches that we trained, we had 52,000 kids playing basketball in 2003 (all township based kids) and we refurbished 95 basketball courts across the country during that time. [Yes, I said 52,000 basketball players and 724 basketball coaches—-IN SOUTH AFRICA!!]. But just like with this Tiger sponsored program, loveLife was NOT about basketball!!! It was about the 79,000 South African children that we took through a 23 week / 11 module life skills course. [Yes, 79,000 South African youth]….(Changing Lives through Sport). That was what loveLife was about and that is what this program is about.
Some coaches coach and some players get on the court and play. Then you have the “Hecklers and Fans” that stand in the stands and point fingers, complain and occasionally cheer.” But they are almost always standing or sitting!
Come out this weekend and help run a station for the 250+ children that we are expecting if you REALLY ARE about developing basketball. If you don’t like the fact that a sponsor was convinced to give bball a try but it wasn’t through you ……then get into the boardrooms and sell the game. (OH!!, you can’t sell the game if you are not building the game cause people can see when you can really do the work as opposed to talking about how you WOULD do the work……
I usually don’t comment but couldn’t resist! It is time to stop the talk and claiming that you know the rules. The only RULE should be that you don’t have the right to talk until you have done something to build the game and more importantly to GENUINELY help the young people that want to play the game.
I can send this email (talk) because we know that this is what we have done and continue to do. Michael Finley on behalf of Miles & Associates and AYDF.
Really????? Obama talked about people that stand in the kitchen while the floor is wet and complain about how wet it is rather than picking up the mop!!! Sound familiar??????
First of all, thanks to mybball and Victor for supporting our initiative. We have been able to convince another sponsor to “Try Out” the game of bball and use it as a vehicle to help us change lives and hopefully set the example for how the game can be developed. We (Miles & Associates and AYDF) know how to do this and we have proven it in the past. LoveLife was a wonderful program because we had over 740 coaches that we trained, we had 52,000 kids playing basketball in 2003 (all township based kids) and we refurbished 95 basketball courts across the country during that time. [Yes, I said 52,000 basketball players and 724 basketball coaches—-IN SOUTH AFRICA!!]. But just like with this Tiger sponsored program, loveLife was NOT about basketball!!! It was about the 79,000 South African children that we took through a 23 week / 11 module life skills course. [Yes, 79,000 South African youth]….(Changing Lives through Sport). That was what loveLife was about and that is what this program is about.
Some coaches coach and some players get on the court and play. Then you have the “Hecklers and Fans” that stand in the stands and point fingers, complain and occasionally cheer.” But they are almost always standing or sitting!
Come out this weekend and help run a station for the 250+ children that we are expecting if you REALLY ARE about developing basketball. If you don’t like the fact that a sponsor was convinced to give bball a try but it wasn’t through you ……then get into the boardrooms and sell the game. (OH!!, you can’t sell the game if you are not building the game cause people can see when you can really do the work as opposed to talking about how you WOULD do the work……
I usually don’t comment but couldn’t resist! It is time to stop the talk and claiming that you know the rules. The only RULE should be that you don’t have the right to talk until you have done something to build the game and more importantly to GENUINELY help the young people that want to play the game.
I can send this email (talk) because we know that this is what we have done and continue to do. Michael Finley on behalf of Miles & Associates and AYDF.
This sound like a great initiative for basketball development in South Africa, I want to wish the “Are you game” program and the organization driving this success. Thierry Kita. Boston
Again people choose to ignore the question asked, but rather concentrate on their own SELF interests. My question was not addressed to AYDF but rather to Alexandra Basketball Association on purpose. This was in the context of the current debate on Victor’s thread ie ACCOUNTABILITY of structures. Therefore who AYDF is and what Miles & Associates have done is not the point.
I am therefore still waiting for a response from the Alexandra Basketball Association on the ACCOUNTABILITY AND NOT THE MERIT of the programme.
As a player, developing coach and supporter of basketball, I congratulate you for the marvelous work you have contributed. Let us not shy away from ‘who’ does the job, but be happy it is done. Alot of structures, supposedly ACCOUNTABLE, have done very little to develop basketball and it shall be known. Initiatives such as this deserve applause, not questioning, that should be done towards national bodies whom for more than 10years have failed to put South African basketball on the SA sports agenda.
And by all means, the focus exerted on refurbishment on courts is brilliant, it’s not rocket science … to develop the game, a culture of participation must be designed and this initiative just needs everyone’s support.
Dumzer
It is a pity that choose to ignore real issues raised by my post. Anywho, do you know that the Ekurhuleni Municipality is currently refurbishing the Tembisa courts? Do you know that they have also reburbished a number of courts in the Katorus area? Do you know that courts have been refurbished by Darkchild, Tracker and ESPN before? This is just a few of many examples of courts that have been refurbished, the question is has this resulted in basketball develpment in those areas? Thus refurbishing of courts is nothing new and has never been the solution to basketball problems.
My questions to ABA are based on my experience with refurbishing exercises which are not informed by a long term strategic plan. In the current basketball scenario the associations are custondians of strategic direction and would be accountable if a programme which does not speak the vision is implemented. It is also the association’s role to ensure that relevant stakeholders of any programme are involved to minimise conflict, ensure support and sustainability for the programme. Not only that, through accoutability the association can share its succesfull programme with other associations for broader implementation of the programme.
In closing, the problem with basketball has never been ACTION but PLANNED ACTION. We are a small minded and myopic community with no comprehension of strategic issues. More disturbing is that we refuse to engage on relevant debate but rather choose to remain ignorant.
AMEN
I have for some time been following your comments and opinions, and I must say in my humble opinion I am impressed. Bball persons , perhaps through lack of knowledge, do not want to view the sport as a business. ACCOUNTABILITY is a cornerstone in this whole process. The refurbishment of courts, donation of equipment is great , but are we not been shortsighted? If these great things were happening in a CO-ORDINATED manner, it will immensely improve the game and participation of the kids. If we don’t have this contribution from BSA( i.e its affiliates) then these resources may be allocated in area that is not critical. Mass participation is fantastic and is the basis for future growth, but are these resources not going to the same ares?
I want applaude all those that are still doing something to get sponsorship, but let us not be naive to think these guys are doing it for the love of the game. It is a business. They are in the business of finding sponsorship deals using BASKETBALL as a vehicle.
people need to get off their high horse and come to understand we are all stakeholders in this game, and each of us need to perform our roles. We are all vital, and the assumption that BSA, is doing nothing, and so can be sidelined and ignored is ,not only shortsighted but detrimental to the sport. BSA is everyone, if you dont participate in your area, province, league, school , club then you are to blame.
What you just said could have been from the beginning, it is valuable insight which I am sure the organisers are aware of. There are facts that the basketball community chooses to ignore, like the accountability of BSA, it has never been challenged, yet when simple initiative start off, questions are raised.
The stats are on the wall, this initiative is good for development of basketball finish and klaar, whether BSA ackowledges their existance or not. Reasons why independent organisations take initiative is the very lack of the top management, whom we forget run BSA as a business themselves, a self-enriching one, excuse me.
The importance of refurbishment depends on location, where I am, long-term strategy is prepared, the only thing we need is refurbishment. It is ignorant to assume that this particular initiative does not have one, look at the stats. Association, accountability these are all nice terms, at the very end, people must play the sport and love it, no politics, this was the history of basketball, unfortunately some people took advantage of this. Now we are stuck in politics as we see the threat of not being aware. Let’s go back to simplicity …