Sports+Transformation+and+Development,+YCL+Lead

Young Communist League, Discussion Documentto the National Policy and Strategy Conference

 * 11-14 August, 2005, Makopane, Limpopo Province**

=Sports Transformation & Development– YCL Taking the Lead...=

Sports, both as a means of leisure and even in its competitive form have played a critical role globally in building bridges amongst deeply divided societies. During the apartheid years in South Africa, sports clubs became one of the most viable means to organize and educate the youth of our country under the most oppressive regimes.
 * 0.1 Prelude**

The majority of people who participate in sports both actively (for commercially gain) and for recreation purposes are youth. It is therefore inherent that the Young Communist League as organization that seeks to organize and mobilize young people across all sectors in society must take an interest in this sector of our life.

Secondly it is in sports that the effects of a barbaric capitalist means continue to ingrain itself without challenge. In the name of competitiveness, good governance and so forth, people continue to own players and trade with them, the majority of the poor who follow sports continue to have no say and the pattern of ownership and decision making in various sports club world wide distresses one even much.

Countries like South Africa continue to invest a lot of money in hosting Olympics, World Cups and so forth in the guise of boosting economies of those countries. It is via such events that we see an offensive of multinationals flowing into the host country and immediately withdrawing after the event leaving the working class and the poor devastated and back to square one.

Central to the issue of sports transformation and development specifically in South Africa is the issue of participation of the African majority both in the field of play and in the administration of the sport. The challenge globally relates to the participation of Africans in the field of play and in decision making. Recent efforts, for instance by FIFA to root out racism in European Football, can be used as a case in point to demonstrate the nature of the challenge.

We attempt to initiate a discussion on the above mentioned issues and not surely provide casting stone views.

The Chairperson of the YCL, cde Davi Masondo, makes an interesting observation that one of the limitations, often broadcast as a strong point of our democracy, is that we have to negotiate everything. The purpose of the negotiations is more often to establish ground to what an extent the haves are willing to give away some of their privileges and then we emerge with a compromise. Often it is not said, if it said at all, that the compromise is at the expense of the have not. This has been a defining character of our transition.
 * 0.2 Transformation**

Sport has not been immune to this kind of trends. Historically participation and administration of sports in our country has always been divided through the colour line. This included the level of development of infrastructure in our communities. Though sports leaders met as early as 1991 for the unity talks between the then predominantly black sports associations and white sports associations, most of the discussions that took place from the first meeting are still ongoing today.

Quite often in townships one would find a plethora of football pitches and very few rugby fields, tennis courts, swimming pools and so forth as juxtaposed to the suburbs that where reserved for whites only. The same goes to when one looks at the development of schools and even institutions of higher learning that were meant for blacks only.

In townships and villages there are some schools that even go without playing fields or a single sport whereas. This would account for the reason why once you emerge as a promising black rugby player or cricketer from Dimbaza, the UCBSA would immediately arrange a bursary for you to go to Dale College like is the case with Makhay Ntini. This is contrary to funding having been made available to construct a high standard high jump training facility in the rural Coligny for Hestrie Cloete to access training.

Whereas there has been a lot that government has done in the past eleven years to try and address the challenge of access to sporting infrastructure for the majority of our people a lot more still has to be done. The second challenge in so far as combating this aspect is the issue of maintenance of these facilities once erected in our communities.

What comes to mind immediately is the idling outdoor multipurpose centre just as one drives into the township of Phahameng in Modimolle. The beautifully erected outdoor centre in Galeshewe but now looking fit enough to graze a flock of livestock is another case in point. In Thokoza there is a playing field where ever weekend there is a soccer activity from dawn to sunset but there has not been an effort to put grass, proper irrigation systems and get a grounds man to take care of the field.

The problems range from the lack of skills and relevant capacity to take care of such facilities, lack of funding at a municipalities and non utilization of these facilities. Structures of the YCL need to put up in place proper strategies to address these problems. Ascertaining that in the process of development of LED investment in sports infrastructure is taken into account, popularizing the study of horticulture, engaging the Tourism and Hospitality Education and Training Authority to open up learnerships for young people in the field of horticulture and facility management, engaging SALGA and municipalities on adoption of such learners.

Linked to the whole issue of lack of access to infrastructure is an issue that has resulted in most of the sport, besides football at the least, being played outside the living area of the majority of our people.

You find therefore that in rural and even townships, to play a game of hockey, cricket, rugby and even netball, teams have to travel. It is only logical that those who then cannot afford the traveling costs are excluded. This has resulted in the majority of our people being excluded from the main stream of sporting activities. The YCL would have to deliberately take up a process of engagement with sports federations in addressing this aspect.

Though there is no empirical evidence to back this up, many renowned sports leaders have repeatedly charged that post 1994 the level of participation amongst even the sporting codes that are historically regarded as black sports, like boxing for instance, has drastically declined. Other sport federations like swimming for instance have embarked on programmes to engage young people. It would be useful then for the YCL to even engage with such sports federations to explore and brainstorm strategies and partnerships to get the youth of our country to the playing fields.

Whilst it is correct to talk to the aspect of inclusiveness of our National Teams and we should not loose sight of this aspect as we proceed, it is quite sacrosanct to pressurize national federations to pay attention to the aspect of development which will directly influence this aspect.

Central to the task of transformation is the issue relating to the leadership of the National Federation and their Provincial structures. The participation of the African majority in the day to day affairs of running the sports seems to have gradually taken place whereas control of the technical aspects of the game still lies mainly in the hands of the white minority. The development of black coaches, selectors, umpires and referees in sports like hockey, netball, cricket and rugby remains much skewed field per field.

To back up the importance of this aspect is the recent report that the Coach of the “Springboks” threatened to resign when a genuine issue of inclusiveness of the team was raised with him. We need to urge both government and National federations to pay specific attention to these critical aspects of development. It is even needless to overemphasize the need to increase the numbers of young people in these technical fields.

The YCL should be in the forefront to engage with the Golf administrators to make sure that the sport is made accessible to black youth. For whatever reason, primarily because of the costs involved, Golf is associated with doing business and still seen as a sport for those who can afford. So even those who are being co-opted by business are co-opted to playing the sport that is associated with business rather than them clinching deals at a football game or a softball match. We need to see the introduction of Golf academies in townships and villages.

The Young Communist League needs to also establish relations with South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, which is charged with an overall sight of sports administration with a view to establish commonly agreed upon transformation benchmarks and monitoring mechanisms. The further needs to be engagement with the South African Students Sports Union, a body charged with overall administration of student sport, to be able to confront the challenges confronting students at Universities. These challenges range from the cost of playing sport at university to developing flexible curriculum for sports personalities who drop out at institutions of higher learning due to tight academic schedules.

For strategic reason it would also be useful to establish links with United Schools Sport Association of South Africa, USASSA, which is charged with overall responsibility of sport at school level. For us an organization it remains also critical that we participate in policy making in parliament and to this extend we need to continuously interact with the Parliamentary portfolio committee on Sports and Recreation.

Part of the limitations that are imposed on us by virtue of membership and affiliation to international bodies is the issue that relates to an international protocol in so far as restraining government interference in the day to day running affairs of the sport. In practice this means that though governments are expected to finance sports, act as surety when bidding for hosting major international events and they cannot and are forbidden to direct national federations to act in the interest of the majority.

The recent example is when SARU took a decision that clearly had negative effects in the development of rugby in the country, little could government do because had they intervened, SARU would have been immediately suspended from the International Rugby Board.

Therefore, sporting federations will and can continue to run their affairs in a manner that is not in the interest of the people but the market, and government can do nothing about it. The current Minister of Sport and the Department have made remarks about the fact that they are left with no option but to push to legislate sports transformation but we have seen little to this direction. Both the Minister and the department must be engaged to push forth for legislation.

Part of the major successes to delivering vibrant sporting programmes is the ability of sporting bodies to be able to generate funding beyond allocations from government.
 * 0.3 Corporate Support**

Despite various measures that we have seen to pin down corporate South Africa to contribute towards the efforts of the movement to better the lives of our people, little has been done to get them to contribute to sports development.

In most instances, many companies have opted to finance elite sports and the financing of development programmes and leagues where majority of our people campaign week in and week out being left to government. Funding for women sports programmes and for the disabled is often relegated. This is so because companies only seek to invest were they can get publicity and then “return on investment”. Return on investment is not calculated in terms of how a company has been able to improve the lives of our people but by adverts, the length of the advert and when is it screened.

The YCL should actively take corporate South Africa head on for its lack of commitment to development related activities in sport and the support of activities for women and disability sport.

A lot has been said and done around the issue of the hosting of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Whilst appreciating the fact that our country will have the opportunity to host this prestigious event, we need to position the YCL to be in the forefront making sure that our communities and our people broadly, not an elite that we see disguising under the BEE banner, benefit from the hosting of the World Cup.
 * 0.4 2010 Soccer World Cup.**

In as much as the statistics that have been presented about the impact that the World Cup will bring to our country in so far as alleviating unemployment, boosting the tourism sector and so forth, we need to ask questions and perhaps study, without being pessimist, what have been the living effects of hosting such events in other countries. We are reliably informed that in Korea for instance, one of the stadiums used for the 2002 World Cups remain idle. We need to guard against such ramifications.

Was it a moral issue for FIFA to award the organization of the World Cup to South Africa after the 2006 slip-up? Certainly not. FIFA generates the majority of its profit from organizing the World Cup. Therefore any country that tables a bid that is viable business will get the nod from FIFA. So making profit is the primary aim of FIFA and the 2010 World Cup is no exception. Though we do not seek to suggest that we must make a loss, the central question is make profit at whose expense? Surely it should not be at the expense of the poor.

Reports suggest that FIFA has already asked South Africa not to start marketing the 2010 yet because it has the potential of diverting capitalist greed from Germany to South Africa. This interest that is spoken about is mainly from multinationals who have already lined up their cronies to act as BEE partners. We must discourage young people from participating and allowing themselves to be roped in as fictitious BEE partners.

It is repeatedly reported that the number of stadiums to be used in 2010 for instance might be reduced from 13 to 8. Unfortunately it will be the remote areas that’ll be affected deeply.

To what extend will the constructions of stadiums be undertaken by co-operatives in the construction industry? Are we going to see an influx of multinationals benefiting from this construction deals like the issue of ownership of the Ellis Park Sports Precinct is? The YCL needs to be in the forefront of engaging the LOC in making sure that we avoid the World Cup being hosted in South Africa and most of the profit generated directed to foreign companies.

The same argument should apply to both tourism and hospitality. It should be a broad movement of co-operatives and development of the townships that are at he heart beat of South Africa’s strategy in hosting the world cup. Of course youth co-ops and worker co-ops should be the main beneficiaries.

Part of the things that the YCL should lead is a campaign to make sure that the World Cup is accessible to the poor of our country and the African continent largely. Attendance therefore at the stadiums should be able to reflect that. The socio-economic conditions of our people would have to be factored in determining the prize of the tickets therefore. We do not want to host the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony at FNB Stadium for example with no one from Soweto, with the exception of those born in Soweto but have since migrated to Sandton, in the stadium. This would indeed be a sad day for humanity.

The development of our youth to be able to compete and possibly win the first ever World Cup for our country should be an issue of interest to the YCL. For this to take place SAFA must be engaged to come out with a blue print that all and sundry would be aware of in ascertaining that our nation emerges victorious come June 2010.

Part of the strategic mission of the YCL is to be able to mobilize, educate and reach out to young people wherever they might be in society. What we at times seem to forget is that most of the athletes, mainly young people, are workers and we should be able to reach out to them.
 * 0.5 Athletes as Young Workers.**

Sport as a profession has one the most short term permanent status rate in the world. You are guaranteed to retire before you reach the age of 65, or through injury, bad management and a concoction of factors your sport career can come to an end abruptly. Mostly when it happens it is to the detriment of an athlete.

The YCL should therefore actively take up the issue of the welfare of our athletes. Whilst we must continue to fight to safeguard rights accrued to our workers like pension, UIF and so forth, this more often than not is not the case with our sports stars. There are agents that own these athletes and continue to make a lot of monies out of negotiating so called best deals for them. Athletes take little interest in their affairs because the mentality out there is that their business is to focus on what they can do best, which either is running, playing rugby, cricket, boxing and the agents will take care of their contracts, salaries and so forth.

The YCL must be at the forefront of challenging this continued exploitation which has entrenched itself as given and most importantly as necessary.

Already there have been substantial en-routes with the South African Football Players Union (SAFPU) having affiliated with COSATU. But we still need to engage with SAFPU to firstly utilize the platform to reach out to a majority of the soccer players and secondly to enliven organizational capacity and work of SAFPU.

Secondly in sports like cricket and rugby we have player unions that seem to only focus on the issues affecting the elite players, although these might be a far fetched view. We further need to explore various means of firstly engaging with this unions and understanding their operation but the ultimate objective would be to create a platform for the progressive trade union movement to break through and organize in these rugby and cricket players.

This might even slot into the ongoing discussion of creating mega Unions and we transform SAFPU form mainly a football players union to cater for all professional athletes in South Africa.

Sports transformation, like transformation of any other sector in society can’t be left to an invincible hand or the goodwill of sports administrators. As the YCL pronounces its interventions and a rolling programme in the interest of the youth of our country, we are likely to hear prophets of doom saying that we are not qualified to pronounce on this primarily because we are not sports practitioners.
 * 0.6 Conclusion**

We dare not commit the same error in the organization of refusing to engage with sports transformation for it might seem less political. The contradictions that we seek to resolve in our ongoing struggle manifest themselves in every sector of society. We dare not implore a fragmented approach to achieving our strategic objectives.


 * From: http://www.sacp.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=259&Itemid=107**