Multichoice

South Africa

SuperSport Let's Play initiatives

Now in its second decade, SuperSport's flagship CSI initiative, Let's Play, has a multi-pronged strategy to encourage young people to be physically active and to participate in sport. Through sponsored sport facilities and equipment as well as coaching clinics, competitions and training, SuperSport encourages young people to take part in healthy activities. Not only does this improve their physical wellbeing, but, as has been proven scientifically, it also strengthens social skills and enhances psychological development. Let's Play initiatives reach schools and communities across the country. Let's Play is positioned as an implementation partner of the Department of Basic Education and has aligned its programmes to the strategic objectives of Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA). The success of the initiatives is due to numerous factors, not least the support of donors and sponsors, endorsements from government and a vibrant working relationship with Unicef. The programme now reaches over 1m children annually. Among the programmes of Let's Play are:

• The Let's Play Physical Education Challenge, a custom programme designed to reinforce the instruction of curriculum-oriented physical education in primary schools throughout the country. The challenge is aimed at promoting an active, healthy lifestyle from an early age and developing a passion for playing sport. It is one of the biggest schools' sport initiatives of its kind, having reached 1 947 primary schools, engaging over 1.5m learners and provided physical education training to about 4 000 educators.
• The Let's Play Playing Fields Project, in collaboration with our partners, donates and constructs basic sport playing fields at schools in some of South Africa's most disadvantaged communities. To date, 22 schools have received playing fields with 105 schools within the immediate communities sharing these facilities. Close to 100 000 children participate in weekly sport programmes at these facilities with 315 educators trained in physical education.
• The Let's Play Schools Rugby Project is aimed at creating a sustainable rugby culture by sharing the fun of the game with as many under-nine boys and girls as possible. It encourages clusters of schools to host their own leagues. More than 2 000 primary schools across South Africa have been involved in this project reaching more than 60 000 boys and girls with various formats of the game. More than 4 000 educators have been trained in Boksmart/Bokmedic programmes and mini-rugby.

Not even losing his leg three years ago in a tractor accident stopped a young boy from J J Booysen Primary School in Loxton, Northern Cape, from participating in the Let’s Play Physical Education Challenge. Peter John Constable joined his fellow classmates in this challenging course with the odds against him. He not only completed the course, he thoroughly enjoyed it and competed with a smile. With such a positive attitude, nothing is impossible!

MultiChoice Diski Challenge (MDC)

The MDC is a football development programme that creates opportunities for young, aspiring footballers to become professionals and to enhance their life skills. The initiative also creates platforms for the development of interns interested in a career in broadcasting. Currently in its fifth season, 572 football matches have been played. Over 150 players participating in the league have represented national teams at various age groups. More than 170 broadcast trainees worked on screening 140 of the matches live on SuperSport and community TV stations. In addition, we partnered with six community channels to provide live content rights free of charge. Since inception, the MDC has reached more than 500 young footballers per season, with more than 120 being promoted to the PSL since 2014, including stars such as Percy Tau, Lyle Foster, Sphesihle Ndlovu and Teboho Mokoena.

SuperSport Wheelchair Basketball South Africa series

Our commitment to making a difference to local sport goes beyond supporting mainstream sport such as rugby, cricket and football. For more than two decades, SuperSport has sponsored the wheelchair basketball series, the world's only televised domestic wheelchair basketball series. Through television coverage and cash investment, the sport has attracted additional funding and secured a sustainable future for players, coaches, referees and administrators. Not only does this series provide an opportunity to participate in a sport for someone in a wheelchair, but this coverage also shows the viewing public that people in wheelchairs can still play sport – empowering persons with disabilities and educating the public. As the series' tagline states: "It's not just a game, it's a way of life!"

“After South Africa’s success at the 1996 Paralympics, I got chatting to SuperSport and threw down the gauntlet in terms of exposure for sport for people with disabilities. I was invited to submit a proposal and chose wheelchair basketball. I love team sport, and this is so fiercely competitive that I knew it would be TV-friendly. That was 21 years ago; the rest is wonderful history. Players have become household names and role models in their communities. The standard of the game has improved dramatically – there are opportunities to play for the country and travel to world competitions. It has made a huge difference.”

– Andy Scott, paraplegic, Paralympian, sport administrator and commentator

SuperSport United Academy

The SuperSport United Academy is a leading youth soccer development programme aimed at fast-tracking stars of the future through preparation for professional football. The academy is home to over 30 fulltime players who receive full board and lodging, world-class coaching under the auspices of our international Dutch technical director, high school and tertiary education, full scientific support and medical attention as well as life skills and media training.

To date, over 70 players have graduated from the academy and progressed to play for the PSL and National First Division (NFD) clubs in the National Soccer League. Currently, 10 former academy players are part of the SuperSport United senior squad in the PSL and many of our academy players play in various national age-group teams.

Teboho Mokoena who played in the 2017 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations tournament is now a star player in the PSL. Bafana Bafana and SuperSport United goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, joined the academy at the age of 12 after being spotted by Godfrey Mosoetsa in his hometown in Port Elizabeth and is today ranked among the top goalkeepers in the country. Luke le Roux scored the winning goal to send the South African under-twenty team to the Fifa under-twenty World Cup for only the second time in history. We also boast current Brentford captain, Kamohelo Mokotjo, as an early graduate of our academy after joining at the age of 11 and transferring to the Netherlands as an 18-year old.

One exciting spin-off from the academy is the introduction of the SuperSport United Soccer Schools, operating throughout the country. The soccer schools provide coaching to over 8 000 young players every week, of which 2 000 are fully sponsored by the club. The club currently has an 83% retention of top talent from our soccer schools within our youth and junior academy structures, which proved to be a noteworthy drawcard for top young talent in the country. The soccer schools are also a business opportunity for former players and young entrepreneurs with a passion for soccer.

Caddies Educational Trust

The SA Caddies Educational Trust enables the children of golf caddies and the caddies themselves to apply for financial assistance to further their education. SuperSport contributes financially towards the trust and serves on its board of trustees. The first education grants were awarded in 2008 with funds used to pay for education, school uniforms, stationery and textbooks. Since then, more than 200 individuals have received funding for education at various levels, including primary, secondary and tertiary education. More than R4.5m has been paid out over the years. A total of 14 beneficiaries have successfully completed tertiary diplomas and three have obtained degrees, with Aubrey Mkhwanazi attaining his LLB in 2018 and Malakiya Nkhumeleni already having three distinctions under his belt towards his Bachelor of Earth Sciences in Hydrology.

Magic in Motion Academy (MiM)

Through the MiM Academy, M-Net provides young film producers with an opportunity to work with industry experts for hands-on experience. Over the past four years, 57 academy interns participated in the programme. They have produced and directed 16 original Mzansi Magic films as part of their training. In addition to hands-on filmmaking training, interns go through an intensive development programme with Henley Business School. Class of 2016 alumni Aluta Qupa, Mbali Zulu and Thembelethu Mfebe started a production company, called A Tribe Called Story, that has delivered five movies and a 13-part series, commissioned by Mzansi Magic. Another group of students from the class of 2017, Xolani Nhlapho, Thabo Mashaila and Neo Sibiya, started a production company, Centric Circus, which has produced three movies for Mzansi Magic. Altogether 50 students from 12 institutions have benefited from the MiM bursary. MiM continues to make a direct contribution to skills in the film and television industries, empowering the next generation of storytellers.

The Sports Trust

The aim of the trust is to support grassroots sport with a focus on previously disadvantaged communities. In FY2019, the trust approved R5.3m to various projects that comprise the provision of sporting facilities, including multipurpose fields to four rural schools in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, funding of coaching clinics in rural Eastern Cape and funding of a grassroots cricket league.