ETS trains every day and night to break soccer record
RUIMSIG – Education Through Soccer players are preparing for a 60-hour soccer match in November.
Players have been playing soccer day and night to prepare for a 60-hour soccer match at Education Through Soccer (ETS) in Ruimsig.
The non-profit organisation aims to break the world record for the longest non-stop six-a-side soccer match in order to raise R500 000 to construct classrooms on the grounds of the organisation’s premises, where homeschooling will be conducted and young soccer players can do their homework. The rooms will then be converted into a gym in the evening for physical conditioning.
ETS’s attempt has been officially accepted by the Guinness World Records and will take place at the club from 6am on 3 November to 6pm on 5 November.
In preparation for the match, the club’s women’s team and social men’s team have been playing soccer matches for several hours every week, socially and competitively, at the club and at different soccer arenas.
“The women, who just won the Rand Central Senior Ladies Division 2 league in September, play two hours per day, four days a week,” said women’s team coach, Jabz Gumede-Baxer. “We are working on stamina, with two-hour stints and rotations, depending on how the players feel.”
Nicol Posthumus of the men’s social team said that he is doing this for the love of the game and to support a good cause. “We will be helping a lot of children with this, and bringing the game to them,” he said.
Alex van der Merwe of the women’s team joked that the greatest challenges will be the lack of sleep and having to eat so many bananas to keep energy levels high.
ETS founder and owner, Lloyd Tuffney, invited the public to come on the day and support such a great initiative.
Come 3 November, there will be two teams of 14, so six players will be on per team and eight off at a time. Rotations will occur about every two hours. The players will not be allowed to leave the grounds and will pitch tents around the field to eat and sleep in when not playing.
The Guinness World Record for the longest six-a-side soccer match is 30 hours and 10 minutes set by Healthy Hearts Alberta players in Canada. It was unofficially beaten by players in Qatar, who apparently played for 40 hours.
Details: educationthroughsoccer@gmail.com; 082 454 9821.
