Sports park on cards for Paarl East residents
2008-07-31
May Saal
THE neglected New Orleans municipal sportsgrounds are due for an upgrade. The Monte Christo Ministries in Paarl has signed a lease agreement with the Drakenstein Municipality to develop the 9,5 hectare parcel of land next to Chicago, as a sports park. This piece of land has deteriorated over the past fourteen years and became the hangout of drug users and criminals. This sparked the demolition of the derelict and vandalised ablution block by members of the community. According to Garry Helling of Monte Christo Ministries (MCM), the whole development should be finished and in use by 2010. The MCM Sports Park will cost about R12 million and and will be developed in partnership with Drakenstein Municipality, World Emergency Relief, UK Premier League, GTCC, Celtic FC, Johnstone Paints, and supporters from teh USA, Europe and Paarl. Most of the funding will come from the UK and USA. According to Helling they have signed a lease agreement for nine years which can be renewed for another eleven years. “We are prepared to give the facilities to the Municipality after the lease agreement expires, if they are willing to manage the sports park,” said Helling. The sports park will consist of three soccer pitches, a multi-purpose field, four sports courts, changing rooms, a multi-purpose hall, children’s playground, classrooms and offices. About the security issue, Helling said, “We will work in co-operation with a security company and the Chicago and New Orleans neighbourhood watches to protect the sports park around the clock”. The whole idea started six years ago when a young Chicago resident, Francisco Naudé, and now works for the Monte Christo Ministries, started dreaming about a sports park on the site. “I grew up in the flats in Chicago and I played sports on this exact field until it got too dangerous. Six years ago God put it in my heart to get that land back for our kids. I engaged with different people to get the land back and use it as a sports facility,” Naude said. He said that three years ago he met the people from Monte Christo Ministries and told them his dream. “For the past two and a half years we have worked together to get a lease from the Drakenstein Municipality. Last week they approved the project and a lease agreement was signed,” said a very excited Naude. According to Helling they will get professional coaches from Fifa in the UK to train local willing coaches to coach the kids of Paarl East. Naudé said his vision is to see that through this sports park children will be off the streets and away from drugs.
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