Young footballers all “geared up”

Over R30 000 worth of football gear was handed over to the St Georges Football Club on Thursday, July 29. The handover was made possible through a long standing partnership between Algoa FM and Puma. The Eastern Cape radio station has been supporting St Georges FC for the last five years, and has born witness to the positive social impact of the club on the local community.

“Along with Puma, this upliftment partnership is aimed at giving kids a reason to stay off the streets,” says Algoa FM managing director, Dave Tiltmann. “Algoa FM is proud to have been able to help make a tangible difference in the lives of the youth and we have watched the club grow over the years.”
The club was started in 1998 with the aim of developing young people from various backgrounds and enabling them to become contributing members of society. The club boasts ten junior teams (9-17 years) and six senior teams including a ladies team, with the top team, Algoa FM St Georges, currently playing in the Port Elizabeth Football Association (PEFA) Premier League.

St Georges FC will benefit hugely from the home and away playing kit, track suits, tog bags, warm-up shirts and practice balls handed over by Algoa FM. “We subsidise a lot of our members’ fees,” says John Oddy, chairman of St Georges FC. “Getting a generous donation of kit will help us to continue to offer these subsidies on fees. We are extremely grateful for the continued support of both Algoa FM and Puma.”
Since its inception, St Georges FC has gone from strength to strength. “It is definitely a multi-cultural club with over 200 members. The team is currently playing in the Castle League and it hopes to play at the highest level in local football within the next few years,” says Oddy. St Georges FC currently hosts senior matches every Saturday and junior matches every Sunday at the Union Olympic Sports centre in Park Drive, with the under 9’s, under 11’s and under 13’s rated at the top of the PEFA league.
“We remain strongly committed to St Georges FC and look forward to seeing them achieve their dreams in the future,” says Tiltmann.