On 3, 4, 5 April, during the first week of school holidays, CoolPlay hosted a rugby clinic for 100 children at the Cloetesville Sports Complex outside Stellenbosch. CoolPlay squads came from Khayelitsha and three local Cloetesville schools. This was an opportunity made possible by Laureus Sport for Good and set the blueprint for a netball clinic that will be happening in Khayelitsha in the July holidays.
CoolPlay is a sport for development programme with a vision of a future South Africa filled with good people, who are confident, empathetic and resilient leaders. CoolPlay believes this can be achieved by creating a safe space on a sports field, where positive adult role models are equipped to teach social and emotional skills and personal values. In doing so – encouraging positive school engagement, healthy relationships and promoting physical & mental wellness. These are the foundations for success in school, on the sports field and in life.
Luqmaan Ismail, CoolPlay’s Operations Manager shared his pride at the success of the holiday programme – he grew up in Cloetesville, and throughout his schooling career was starved for activities during the school holidays. Family and friends from the community have been contacting him thanking CoolPlay for keeping the fields alive with positive energy and giving hope to the children in the community. It was also an added bonus having Springbok Blitzbok Dewald Human share his words of encouragement to the boys and signing their t-shirts.
CoolPlay advocate and former participant Tapiwa Mavhiye attended the clinic during his school holiday. Tapiwa was a part of the Kuilsriver Primary CoolPlay squad from 2017 – 2019. He thanks his former Champion (CoolPlay coach) Damion for introducing him to rugby. This introduction set the trajectory for his life, as in 2021 he was offered a full scholarship to Trio High School in the Free State. He is a termly border and in the first team this year, a position reliant on also maintaining a 65% average in school, which he is reaching easily. His goal this year is to make the Craven week side and to build a business that his professional rugby career earnings can support until he retires. He has been offered two university places next year which he is weighing up and where he hopes to study business management. Reflecting on the impact of the CoolPlay Way in his life, Tapiwa remembered the hope that clinics and tournaments like this holiday programme gave him when he was younger. He remembers the CoolPlay conversation about setting the right foundations and the art of goal setting that he still relies on today.

Tapiwa, Dewald and winners of the Schlebusch trophy
CoolPlay runs consistent sports programmes in nineteen low and no fee schools in the Western Cape. Twenty-five squads meet twice a week throughout the year in three Cloetesville schools. Through the consistent approach, over ten years, CoolPlay has been a part of many positive stories like Tapiwas. To continue to provide hope and opportunity for personal development during the important years of youth, CoolPlay needs financial support. To find out how more please visit www.coolplay.co.za