24 Hours of Football, Food, and...Fun?

This past weekend the organization that I am interning for, Amandla EduFootball, hosted a 24-hour crime prevention soccer tournament. This event was created to have a day dedicated to promoting the concept of choosing sport over crime. The tournament consisted of 4 separate tournaments (U/13, Girls, U/16, Men's) that went from 9 am on Saturday until 9 am on Sunday. As for the staff, we left our apartment for the township of Khayelitsha at 7:30 am and did not return home the next day until 10:30. Needless to say, it was a longggg day. To give you a little bit of perspective, here are the numbers that were collected at the end of the event:

128 Teams:

-32 U/13 Teams

- 8 Junior Girls Teams

- 8 Senior Girls Teams

- 32 U/16  Teams

-48 Men's Teams

2173 Total People in Attendance Throughout the 24 Hours

292 Games Played

It would be a huge understatement to say that this event was a success. We had over 300 kids at the field before the first hour was completed. The amount of support that the event got from the township community, as well as the city of Cape Town was incredible. We had sponsors, such as Coca Cola, Umbro, and Shoprite come in to give out prizes, set up a stage/DJ, and supply three meals worth of food for the participants. I, personally, have never been part of such a tremendous event from start to finish. To think that such a tournament could be set up by a group of people who are, for the most part, in their mid- to low- twenties is just astonishing. Throughout the day, I helped distribute food by the masses, keep score of the games, and just provide a helping hand in whatever was needed. We used over 400 loaves of bread and Courtney and I made countless cups of coffee for the hundreds of players that participated in the night-long tournament. 

We started off the day full of energy, even building a bridge with our hands and dancing as the players came through to get their lunch. However, as the hours went on, our energy slowly faded, but we managed to keep our spirits high. Each and every staff member made it through the entire 24+ hours without a wink of sleep. We stayed awake by deliriously singing, dancing, and laughing at the smallest of things. Of course, the night was not without the occasional "creeper." For a good 4 hours Court and I were being followed by a man who claimed to have Bipolar Disorder and had informed us that his doctors (at the mental hospital where he walked to the field from) wanted him to live in the hospital ever since he tried to stab a man to death in Wynberg. We had another drunk man ask Court what her lover's status was, and also proceed to stalk us for the next several hours. However, there was nothing serious to worry about because of the presence of policemen, protection of the lovely Ryan, Amy, and Shane, as well as Court and my amazing ability to keep track of our location in relation to the creepers. Times like these just helped remind us that we were, in fact, in the middle of a township in Africa. On a more positive note, we also had visits from local and professional South African soccer legends who spoke for the crowd and helped give our trophies. The mayor of Cape Town even blessed us with his presence and gave a powerful speech on the importance of using soccer as a tool to prevent crime and incorporate life lessons. All in all it was a tremendously successful event and one that I am very proud to be a part of . It was a tiring, but wonderful time and I am so thankful to have been given a chance participate.