Our 10th Anniversary — The Big Event and a vision for the future

Leading sport for development organisation Play Sport4Life (PS4L) marked its 10th year of working in the community by flagging plans to develop a dedicated facility to serve as a hub for women’s football development in Cape Town.

Miles October, PS4L. founding director, made the announcement at a gala fund-raising dinner held in Camps Bay recently as part of the organisation’s vision for the next five years.

The occasion was attended by more than 100 high-flyers in Cape Town’s sports and business communities.

Among the guests were Ricardo McKenzie, Western Cape Minister for Cultural Affairs and Sport; Maree Brink, head of top hospitality company Village and Life; Bennet Bailey, Safa vice-president, Shaun Bartlett and Nasief Morris, former Bafana Bafana players; and award- winning actress Jill Levenberg.

October said while the Maitland- based organisation experienced enormous joy at being able to celebrate a decade of using sport as a tool for social change in Cape Town’s disadvantaged communities, it also wanted to provide a vision for the future.

“We are here for the long haul. We have been on a tough 10-year journey and we have shown that we have the resilience and expertise on board to stay the distance. This is why we are planning long-term.” He said they are looking ahead. “One of our long-term goals, as part of our focus on women in sport, is a plan to develop a facility for The Magic Ladies Football Teams. It will be a centre dedicated initially to the development of women’s football in Cape Town. If that vision becomes a reality, then further down the track it can be further developed for other activities.”

October said their aim is to address the vital issue of gender imbalance in sports.

“Sport has been a defining feature in my life from a tender age and growing up in the heart of the disadvantaged communities has made me acutely aware of the disparities that not only impacted on the people, but women in particular.”

October armed himself with an MBA in sports management and, in 2014, established Play Sport4Life as a not-for-profit organisation to use sport as a vehicle for social improvement.

“Our programmes, from EduSport to our Legends initiative, have not only developed athletic skills but also instilled vital life lessons and values in our youth. Our Women in Sport programme has been a game-changer and we’re doubling down on this effort. The EduSport programme, which places coaches in schools and champions the re-introduction of physical education in the curriculum, has also been a key achievement.”

He said as PS4L looks to the future, plans are underway to expand its reach internationally, with support initiatives already started in the United States of America (USA) and Holland.

“PS4L is an established and respected entity on the sports landscape now and one of the pleasing features recently has been the decision by Village and Life to partner with us. It is a highly reputable international hospitality and lifestyle company and we now look forward to other members of the corporate sector backing us.”

Left to Right: Nasief Morris, Ricardo McKenzie, Miles October and Shaun Bartlett.
Photo Credit: TarrenPhotography

Left to Right: Carolyn Inglis (Programme-Manager), Linda-Diedericks (PS4L Director)
Photo Credit: TarrenPhotography

Left to Right: Jill Levenberg (South African Actress), Miles-October (Founding Director) and Carolyn-Inglis
Photo Credit: TarrenPhotography

Left to Right: Mike Abrahams (Former PS4L Staff), Miles October and Clive Kriel (Former PS4L Director)
Photo Credit: TarrenPhotography

Left to Right: Miles October, Cheslyn Steenberg (Ward56-Councilor), Gail Reid (PS4L Director) and Jill Levenberg
Photo Credit: TarrenPhotography

Left to Right: Mr Paul McAvoy (School Principal Factreton Primary) and Pam McAvoy (Wife)
Photo Credit: TarrenPhotography

Left to Right: Miles October, Amy Besick and Kyle Inglis (Former PS4L Director)
Photo Credit: TarrenPhotography

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