Balls to poverty!
A TEENAGER from Hucknall is saying 'Balls To Poverty' in South Africa – in the nicest possible way.
For Catherine Burke (18), of Shortwood Avenue, is to travel to Cape Town to coach football to children in the poorer townships.
Along with 31 students and staff from South Nottinghamshire College (SNC) in West Bridgford, Catherine will also distribute footballs, pens, paper and rulers to the children and to schools.
She sets off for South Africa's third most populous city on March 15 and aims to help to hand out 1,500 footballs to each of the townships she visits before April 2.
Catherine studied for her football-coaching qualification at SNC and now has a national diploma.
She was recommended for the 'Balls To Poverty' project by one of her tutors after it was decided there should be a girl taking part.
Catherine said: "The organiser wanted a girl to go on the trip because it is normally just boys. So one of my tutors put my name forward and said I was perfect for the trip.
"The boys take part in a football tournament and I will be doing things like coaching, giving out footballs and digging holes so that goalposts can be put up."
The 'Balls To Poverty' project was initiated by Joe Sargison, SNC's director of athlete performance programmes, who has coached football in Cape Town since 2004.
The project sees students aged 16-to-18 from the college deliver coaching clinics to more than 8,000 schoolchildren.
Since 2005, 40 different students have distributed thousands of footballs and coached more than 11,000 children.
By the time the football World Cup arrives in South Africa in 2010, SNC will have distributed 35,000 footballs and as many as 10,000 rugby balls.
Catherine also coaches youngsters at Broomhill Junior School, on Broomhill Road, Hucknall, and at Hucknall Leisure Centre where she works.
A keen sportswoman, she spent three months working at a Paul Turner Soccer Academy in the USA. And she also plays rugby.
If you want to help say 'Balls To Poverty', visit www.snc.org.uk/ballstopoverty
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Weather for Hucknall
Saturday 04 February 2012
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