BY PHUMELELE GAMEDZE
MBABANE— For some children, football begins with a ball at their feet. For others, it can open doors to education, opportunity and a future they once only imagined.
This wider meaning of the beautiful game came into focus at the launch of the Donate-A-Pair-of-Shoes Soccer Legends Cup, where Eswatini Football Association (EFA) CEO Frederick Mngomezulu highlighted football’s responsibility to care for the nation’s children.
Mngomezulu said every child in Eswatini should have the opportunity to see themselves as equal to others, stressing that soccer has a caring heart and can be a powerful force for supporting communities.
His message comes as the EFA continues to link football development with opportunities that benefit young people beyond the playing field.
The Association has previously highlighted education as an important part of developing young footballers. Through the Build It Under13 Football Development Programme, EFA supported an initiative in which Evelyn Baring Primary School learner Wenkhosi Dlamini received a E10,000 bursary after being named Player of the Tournament.
The EFA has also embraced the FIFA Football for Schools programme, recognising football as a platform for developing children’s skills and life opportunities alongside their sporting abilities.
Its youth development work continues to create opportunities for both boys and girls, while girls’ football programmes are helping strengthen pathways for young female players and the coaches who support them.
Against this background, Mngomezulu said the EFA was also contributing towards the education of learners at Evelyn Baring, including support for school and boarding fees for 40 learners, according to his remarks at the launch.
The Association also donated footballs towards the Legends Cup, adding its support to a tournament whose central mission is to collect school shoes for vulnerable children.
For Mngomezulu, caring for children is not separate from football’s purpose.
It is part of it.
As 16 teams of former football players prepare to take to the field at King Sobhuza Stadium on August 15 and 16, the tournament carries a message that reaches far beyond competition.
It is a reminder that football can be more than goals, trophies and applause. It can help provide children with dignity today while investing in the citizens who will shape Eswatini tomorrow.
Because the greatest goal may not be the one celebrated after 90 minutes but the one that helps a child believe in tomorrow.
#LegendsCup #EFA #FootballForGood #EswatiniCares
(Courtesy Pic)
