Coach plays a love game for local kids

Tennis coach Emmanuel Ngema with some of the children he is mentoring on the tennis courts and keeping them off the streets. What started with 20 children today numbers some 400. Shelley Kjonstad/African News Agency(ANA)

Tennis coach Emmanuel Ngema with some of the children he is mentoring on the tennis courts and keeping them off the streets. What started with 20 children today numbers some 400. Shelley Kjonstad/African News Agency(ANA)

Published Mar 12, 2022

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Durban - A tennis coach has dedicated years to coaching children who live in informal settlements near the Westridge Park Stadium.

Emmanuel Ngema, 64, of KwaMashu, a tennis coach for eThekwini Tennis Association (ETA), said he was determined to change and improve sports in the city’s townships.

Ngema said he started coaching children in 2015 with a group of only 20, mainly from informal settlements. Today that number has grown to about 400 youngsters.

He said he focused on coaching children because mental and physical development on young lives produced the greatest outcome.

“I believe teaching them while they are still young and flexible is much easier.

Tennis coach Emmanuel Ngema from KwaMashu has dedicated years teaching children who live in informal settlements near Westridge Park Stadium. Two of those children have received tennis scholarships. Shelley Kjonstad/African News Agency(ANA)

“The youngest kids I train are 4 years old and I am confident that we will one day produce a major champion,” said Ngema.

He said his main purpose was to see his trainees progressing and winning Grand Slam championships.

“Two of my young trainees have received tennis scholarships: one attends a tennis academy in Cape Town and another one from a private all-boys’ school, where he received a fully sponsored scholarship,” said Ngema.

Ngema’s former boss, a Mr McMillan for whom he worked as a gardener in the 1970s, encouraged him to join his team.

“Mr McMillan owned a private tennis court in Durban North and he taught me the game.

“I was sceptical at first because I used to think tennis was a sport for girls and real boys played soccer. However with more convincing from Mr McMillan, I decided to give in and join the club,” said Ngema.

He said parents had been very supportive and welcomed him coaching their kids.

“I have built a strong and healthy relationship with the kids and their parents.

“Being a coach requires great character for people to love and respect you, and I would not wish to instil doubt on anyone, which is why I take good reputation as priority,” said Ngema.

He said his experience as a coach had been great because he could play his favourite sport and pass his passion and skills on to others.

Ngema is a full-time coach and had been approached by schools to be their coach.

He said he paid most of the bills for these coaching sessions himself because KZN tennis did not offer a lot and also to give the children something healthy to do to keep them off the streets and away from criminality.

Independent on Saturday

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