Off his own accord, this young U13 learner from Khayelitsha took to pen and paper to share his thoughts about CoolPlay and his Champion coach, Thembani:

“A very bad year once came over me. It was 2017 when my father died in a car accident. It was a bad year for me and then my mother lost everything; her job, money and the house because my father didn’t have insurance.

During that year I had started to play rugby where the CoolPlay coaches trained me how to play. After all that was happening at home, I became depressed and I was thinking of doing a lot of things…so I stopped attending sessions and went to a place where I could get professional help.

After 3 years, in 2020 I resumed CoolPlay coaching after Thembani invited me back. I was also involved in a pilot study with the school. I did this because I wanted to make my father proud of me.

I love rugby because my father loved it when he was a child. I want to be a rugby coach one day just like coach Thembani – he is the best coach I have ever had.

Now I can play rugby but I have also learned very good life lessons. I know that coach Thembani has a lot to teach me. I will never leave the sport of rugby.”