Betway has partnered with the Gary Kirsten Foundation to assist with the development of coaches from Khayelitsha township in the Western Cape as part of the betting provider’s #BetwayCares Skills Hub initiative.
The #BetwayCares Skills Hub initiative is a nationwide skills development programme that aims to both address unemployment and uplift communities through sport during these challenging economic times.
Following the success of the first #BetwayCares Skills Hub workshop last month, Betway South Africa formed a strategic partnership with the Gary Kirsten Foundation on 30 March enabling the international betting provider to bolster and expand the initiative’s goals.
The Gary Kirsten Foundation developed and launched the CoachEd platform in collaboration with a team of international coaches. The licensed platform is designed to enable aspiring coaches to complete an accredited online coaching qualification that provides a balanced combination of theoretical and practical knowledge.
With the use of this innovative training program, the #BetwayCares Skills Hub initiative’s next stop in in the Western Cape will engage 20 coaches from the talent-rich area of Khayelitsha and its surroundings. The coaches will benefit from a month-long coaching course hosted at the Gary Kirsten Foundation’s Centre of Cricket Excellence.
Speaking on the partnership with the Gary Kirsten Foundation, Betway SA Marketing Manager, David Rachidi said the brand was honoured to be working with another South African cricket legend, in addition to Betway’s existing partnership with legendary fast-bowler, Makhaya Ntini.
“Betway’s ongoing efforts of growing sport in communities continues to unlock new and exciting partnerships for the brand, which ultimately benefit our communities,” said Rachidi. “Partnering with Cricket greats such as Makhaya Ntini and Gary Kirsten, through his foundation, is testament to the innovative and giant steps we are making as a brand in improving the standard of sport in our communities”.
Commenting on the launch of the next leg of the initiative, #BetwayCares Skills Hub ambassador Makhaya Ntini said that the development of coaches is a crucial aspect in promoting the game in communities.
“The #BetwayCares Skills Hub is an applaudable intervention from Betway in creating a platform for coaches to match their passion of the game with relevant skills training,” said Ntini. “The growth of the game in our communities relies so much on having knowledgeable and trained coaches and thanks to Betway, there is progress in bridging the gap. Having trained coaches also fuels interest in the sport, resulting in an even wider pool of cricket players, coaches and officials.”
Speaking on behalf of the foundation, South African cricket legend Gary Kirsten said the he was looking forward to seeing the results of their partnership with Betway.
“Far too often, people are unable to benefit from such cricket skills development for a variety of reasons. This workshop at the GK Foundation’s Centre of Cricket Excellence is just a starting point of the initiative which aims to give township coaches an opportunity to upskill their knowledge.”
“We are looking forward to this collaboration with Betway as another step towards creating cricket excellence in township areas and allowing this untapped talent every opportunity to flourish,” said Kirsten.