Sports club catering for the youth

More than 200 members part of the club
Michelline Nawatises
Enzo Amuele





The Swakopmund sports club has been in existence since 1929, and it all started with football.

Currently, the club has opened its doors for fistball, squash, archery and table tennis.

Situated in the coastal town, the club is host to over 120 youth academy aged between five to 17.

According to one of the coaches Tony Arjen, football is a popular sport with so many possibilities, but it also poses challenges as a coach.

“There are many small challenges, such as players who are late and the ever-changing weather here in Swakopmund. You can plan a training session as well as you can, but some things you can not plan,” he said.

Arjen described the players of the club as very hard-working and excited before training, and further added that the laughter of the children is his daily highlight.

“The most important thing is that the children are having fun and learning at the same time,” Arjen said.

The club also runs a charity project, Dein Ball für Namibia, that provides daily meals to players before every training session.

According to head coach Gerald Güther, the football club is for the community.

The level of professionalism starts at the group of 13 as this enables the club to actively spot out players who are talented and can move on to the next stage.

“We teach life skills to the players to create good character. With this, the children learn how to be disciplined and work hard towards a goal.”

Güther also expressed disappointment with regards to the Covid-19 pandemic. He said the worst part of the pandemic is that no competitive games took place for the children.

“One can train very hard but if there are no competitive games, the progress of players is hindered. So in this regard, development of the children will suffer tremendously due to the pandemic,” he said.