Fives Futbol and Totalsports have continued their Mandela Day partnership for the third consecutive year, with the ongoing aim of using sport to uplift communities and inspire hope.

The Mandela Day Football Giveaway initiative uses the gifting of soccer balls to kick-start growth. Each ball ‘planted’ represents an opportunity for change with immeasurable and unlimited potential.

This year over 200 balls were planted across communities in Cape Town and Johannesburg. For the first time, each ball was logged on an interactive website, which illustrates a map of where each ball was planted. The aim was to create a visual of the distribution of balls to give a tangible indication of the project’s impact.

Chad Saaiman, OG Molefe and Khris Kjokwana assisted in distributing the soccer balls this year, while balls were also sent to Katkego Maboe, Nathan Paulse, Tracey Lange, Jeremy Loops and Nicole Eddy to ‘plant’ themselves. Uber once again supported the initiative by sponsoring all transport.

https://www.facebook.com/tfgsportsclub/videos/1301091356669107/

Craig Lamb, head of business for Totalsports says, ‘We believe that sport has the power to change lives and teaming up with the Fives Futbol for Mandela Day, echoes the brand’s commitment to transforming and empowering the youth through the culture of sport. We are proud to be a part of this initiative for the third consecutive year and be in a position to inspire the next generation of young footballers in the community. Football is a very effective socially uplifting tool and partnering with Fives Football has assisted Totalsports in breaking down barriers and inspiring hope.’

Adam Fine, CEO of Fives Futbol, echoed Lamb’s sentiments.

‘We are fortunate to have Totalsports as our partners in this outstanding initiative which is growing year on year and impacting more and more communities. What is most exciting is how anyone can now become involved simply by ”planting” a ball and we hope to plant 10,000 over the next decade.’

Football is an incredibly effective tool for growth and development. On the simplest level, it not only brings players together and promotes teamwork, communication and camaraderie, it also teaches vital life lessons such as commitment, respect, fair play, punctuality and much more. Madiba was a fan and strong advocate for the power of sport and what better way to honour his life.

To plant or donate a ball visit www.plantaball.co.za

Instagram Account: Plant_a_ball
Hashtag: #PlantAball #MandelaDayFootaballGiveaway

For more information contact:
Salma Mohamood| salmamo@tfg.co.za| (021) 937-5735
Aaron Zipper| aaron@augment.agency