Fearing the increasing criminal activities in the nearby open space with long grass and large stones, 80-year-old Jeremia “Oom Jerry” Seore, took a spade to work on the area and named it Botsotso Soccer Field in 1971 and little did he know that 39 years later, his work will be honoured by Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.

The then dusty sports ground, produced many talented soccer stars such as former Kaizer Chiefs dribbling wizard Emmanuel “Scara” Ngobese, former Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United defender Siphiwe Mkhonza and Orlando Pirates defender Lucas Twala. On Sunday, January 31, Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Sports and Recreation, Clr Ndosi Shongwe opened the informal soccer field after the metro upgraded it as part of the greening of informal soccer fields 2010 legacy project.

The municipality budgeted over R60 million towards the provision of more-user friendly informal soccer pitches in various townships in the region to make sure that  36 informal soccer fields across the metro are provided with a lawn, fitted with irrigation systems and fenced off to protect them from getting damaged by pedestrians.

Opening the newly looking sports ground, MMC Shongwe said if the dusty ground was able to produce stars that made their mark during their day, there is hope that the new and better facility will produce even more players that will represent the region at the premier soccer league and subsequently at Bafana Bafana level.

“We expect the community and schools to use this field with a shared vision to produce the best in soccer fraternity. Together, with the South African Football Association, community and local clubs, we will maintain and manage the field and also ensure the promotion and development of soccer at grass roots level,” she said.

Ekurhuleni 2010 General Manager, Joe Mojapelo echoed the sentiments by Clr Shongwe, saying the development and promotion of soccer and its facilities is the legacy the metro seeks to leave in the region post 2010 World Cup.

“When we speak of building a legacy, we refer to all the young stars that stand to benefit from initiatives like this. We want to see them going to play in big leagues across the world and come back to motivate other young stars and tell them that they started here at Botsotso,” said Mojapelo.

Already, the metro has upgraded four informal soccer pitches in Katlehong alone. The four is part of the 20 informal fields already completed. In total the municipality will before June complete all 36 informal soccer fields available in the region.