Founded last year by local tennis enthusiast, 24-year old Ludwe Joka, the academy currently provides tennis training to nearly 50 children on a weekly basis and is currently one of six Western Province Tennis accredited development hubs.
According to Zaida Beukes, president of Western Province Tennis, donations play a huge role in providing the necessary support to effectively run tennis programmes in previously disadvantaged communities. "We are reaching out to about 350 kids across six hubs situated in Khayelitsha, Mitchell's Plain, Masiphumelele, Athlone, Gugulethu and Bonteheuwel. We provide equipment, send coaches to courses and pay tournament entry fees, but we simply do not have enough resources and equipment for each and every child. Donations such as received from The Spur Foundation play a huge part in enabling us to keep these programmes running successfully," says Beukes.
According to Andrew Cronje of Spur Group, the company has a strong association to many sports events across the country. "We receive many sponsorship requests and have to carefully measure these against our brand criteria. On reviewing Joka's proposal and after visiting the Gugulethu Tennis Academy to experience his enthusiasm and commitment first hand and seeing what an impact his programme has on the local community, it was a simple decision to support such a worthy man. We could also not have asked for a better partner than Dunlop Tennis to make this sponsorship possible," says Cronje.
According to Joka, tennis provides the local youth with a unique opportunity to practice an individual sport. "Growing up in a township community, you don't have much private space and play mostly team sports such as soccer. Tennis requires kids to think independently and motivate themselves to achieve their personal best. It is amazing to see how quickly the kids catch on and how well they cope in tournaments. Members of the Gugulethu Tennis Academy will be competing in the Western Province Development Tournament to be hosted in Rondebosch from 16 to 18 August.
