Shoaib Moosa, Sales and Marketing Director of Willowton Group, said that Sunfoil had benefitted greatly from its association with the Proteas. However, it was at grassroots level through initiatives such as this Gauteng township tournament that the real work was being done for communities in South Africa.
"I suppose you could say that if you don't do the groundwork in the nets, you can't perform consistently on the pitch. Being aligned with the Proteas has not only positioned our Sunfoil brand as a prominent supporter of South African cricket but allowed us to work towards realising a far bigger vision for cricket in South Africa. We not only support the stars of today but also those of tomorrow. It is through programmes such as this that we can identify the talent and begin development of the players that will keep us at the forefront of world cricket for decades to come," he said.
Most importantly, Sunfoil has had a hand in how the programme has been developed and grown since it arrived in Gauteng in 2011.
This followed the highly successful roll out in 2007 of the inaugural programme in KwaZulu-Natal under the care of the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Board and Sunfoil Dolphins franchise.
In Gauteng, the additional resources provided by the Sunfoil sponsorship enabled the Gauteng Cricket Board (GCB) to provide cricket coaching to children in disadvantaged areas who wouldn't ordinarily have access to the sport. Each year, Sunfoil and the GCB set out to reach more and more youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds, giving them an opportunity to experience the spirit of cricket.
The Gauteng Cricket Board has been able to reach deeper into communities through this partnership. "Sport has the power to change lives and through the added resources given by the Willowton Group we have been able to reach deeper into the areas that we operate in, resulting in more people becoming involved in this game. Willowton has allowed us to expand our programmes and to give these youngsters experiences that they have never before had," commented GCB Chief Executive, Greg Fredericks.
"I hope that we can grow this in years to come so that this programme continues to contribute to the growth of cricket but of the future leaders of our country."
The overall objective of this programme is to give children from the disadvantaged areas of Gauteng an opportunity to interact and play cricket with their peers from various regions.
The year-long programme culminates in the annual Sunfoil Township Tournament which includes teams from various parts of Johannesburg (Central, South, Alexandra, Sedibeng, Elkah/Dobsonville and Kagiso) as well as the visiting teams from the likes of Kwazulu-Natal.
Last year's highly successful event which took place in Azaadville for the first time, delivered a nail-biting final between the Central and Elkah/Dobsonville teams. It also provided an exciting opportunity for the community, parents, coaches, cricket officials and aspiring cricketers to take their passion for cricket to the next level.
"You just need to watch the Proteas play to realise that sports like cricket continue to play an important unifying role in South Africa. The Sunfoil Township Tournament programme was developed to inspire the youth to play cricket and channel their energy into a positive and healthy team activity. The biggest lesson that comes from a sport like cricket is that hard work and perseverance can change the result of a game. We hope that a similar approach will see South Africa's youth strive to change their lives for the better," said Moosa.
The Sunfoil Township Tournament has also been aligned with the Sunfoil Education Trust (SET), allowing promising candidates participating in the programme to apply for bursaries to further their academic education whilst receiving ongoing cricket coaching.
The Willowton Group has been a committed supporter of South African cricket for many years with its commitment stretching from development at grassroots level to the sponsorship of Proteas Test Series Cricket. The many quality brands produced by this family-owned business include Sunfoil, Sunshine D margarine, D'lite, Wooden Spoon, Nuvolite spreads and more recently, Allsome Rice.
