It’s Time for Players to Help Their Communities – Lekgwathi

As the former Orlando Pirates captain continues his advocacy for community upliftment, the Lucky Lekgwathi Foundation, in partnership with Grootman, will host their annual Lucky Lekgwathi Under-17 tournament this weekend.

In recent years, the country has made significant progress in bridging the gap between sport and social development. After retiring, Lekgwathi, a role model and idol to many, has not let his guard down, and the 45-year-old continues to make a contribution to society.

“Even though I haven’t lived in Southdale in a long time, my enthusiasm for providing opportunities and knowledge to the community is unaffected.” Footballers should give back to their communities in the best way they know how, which is through football,” he said.

The former Buccaneers defender also talked about how important it is to host youth tournaments rather than the more common open division tournaments.

“The open division tournaments are primarily concerned with the game’s entertainment and financial aspects, whereas our tournament aims to provide children with a pathway to academies and better structures for their football development.”

“On a regular basis, I speak with people like Augusto Palacios, who have been in this space for a long time, and their emphasis on capitalizing on the growth of these youngsters at the right age remains of utmost importance.”

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has put a strain on similar initiatives, and the tournament’s growth, which began in 2017, hasn’t been spared.

Lekgwathi’s heart is heavy as he plots a way to engage the youth and community, using the appropriate Covid-19 protocols to supplement the day’s proceedings.

“At the tournament, we encourage spectators and parents to follow proper Covid-19 protocols.”
It’s sometimes difficult because we have ex-players present, and people want to take pictures, but we try to keep things under control as much as possible.

“I decided to include the marathon because I’m a fitness advocate.”