Successful beginnings for newly launched Zandspruit soccer side

Only founded in January this year, Mighty Madrid Football Club has enjoyed very positive results in the first 15 games it has played.

The club was founded by Honeydew Hip Hop founder and artist Ishmael Ishmiza SA Letsoalo, who wanted to give people of Zandspruit a means to get off the streets and do something positive instead. “People, not only the youth, far too often find themselves on the streets of Zandspruit doing drugs or drinking themselves into a hole,” Ishmael said.

He opted to do something about it by putting together a team of soccer players aged 16 and older to give them something to do other than drugs and drink alcohol. “A few of them are already giving up drugs and alcohol because they have found a new addiction in soccer,” Ishmael said.

Since the club’s founding in January, they have played a total of 15 games against local clubs from Zandspruit, Cosmo City, and even Kromdraai, in an effort to give the players exposure and game time before they join any leagues. One would question if they even need to practise, seeing they’ve managed to win 13 of the 15 games they’ve played, only losing one and drawing the other.

Ishmael did point out that the long-term goal for the club is to join a league to give the players a sense of purpose. “We do want to join a league, because then the guys will have something to play for, something other than friendly games against local sides,” he said. The team currently trains from 5.30pm to 7.15pm on an uneven, rocky, dusty, field across from Zandspruit’s taxi rank.

One of the biggest challenges thus far has been the lack of equipment, especially soccer balls and boots for the players, but despite this Ishmael believes there has been vast improvement among the players. “They’ve been working really hard, and we have really seen a lot of growth among the boys,” Ishmael said.