Stormers coach John Dobson, along with team sponsors DHL, has teamed up with CapeTalk radio host and theatre celebrity John Maytham to raise funds for the Barrydale rugby community, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Through this drive, two tickets to the match between the Springboks and All Blacks in Cape Town on 7 September are up for grabs.
Also read: Watch: Big gees in Barrydayle for local rugby clubs
‘On a recent visit to Barrydale, I was very impressed by the spirit of co-operation between significant leaders in the town and in the township, and by the central role that rugby plays in cementing community cohesion,’ said Maytham.
‘I wanted to make a contribution and came up with the idea of auctioning my two tickets for the Boks versus All Blacks Test in Cape Town on 7 September. The total sum raised will be passed on to the Barrydale rugby community. They are great seats in the R3 000 category, near the halfway line in the West Stand. And John Dobson has committed auction items in excess of R10 000 in value,’ Maytham added.
‘DHL have agreed to match the successful bid for the Springbok tickets up to a value of R30 000,’ said Dobson.
‘And for the auction, I am offering two 2024/25 Stormers season-tickets, Stormers kit – including some that aren’t available to the public – and all the proceeds will go to the two rugby clubs, The Flying Eagles and Stryders,’ Dobson added.
Dobson singled out Conroy Williams for his unwavering belief in the community and for his devotion to improving the lives of so many in Barrydale through sport.
‘Rugby truly is an amazing sport and an amazing tool,’ said Williams.
‘There’s no other sport like it. It has proven time and time again how it unites people of different backgrounds,’ Williams added.
Williams, a boxing and rugby coach and a sergeant in the South African Police Service (SAPS), launched the Barrydale Fight Night at the Karoo Art Hotel.
The event raised the first R100 000 towards ‘building a youth sports centre’ in Barrydale.
Williams spearheads Upskill Sports, which creates opportunities and an environment for healthy sporting activities.
Through his Panic Room Boxing, Kickboxing Academy and involvement in rugby, he has mentored many kids and saved them from a ‘gang upbringing’.
Dobson said everything Williams was doing with the Upskill programme ‘identified with the Stormers as a group’.
If the Stormers’ mission was to make the people of the Cape smile, then it was the likes of the Stryders and Flying Eagles who put the smile on those Stormers players and coaching staff.
Bids can be submitted via a link on CapeTalk’s Facebook page, an email to Maytham ([email protected]) or via the CapeTalk WhatsApp line (072 567 1 567).
The deadline for bids is 30 August.
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Picture: @Springboks / X