[For background please see CTRU press invitation below]

Members of the Johan Cruyff Foundation, members of Ajax Amsterdam, officials of Cape Town Routes Unlimited, City Officials, ladies and gentlemen.

As acting Mayor of Cape Town I would like to welcome the Johan Cruyff Foundation and thank them for their generous donation of this football court.

I would also like to welcome Ajax Amsterdam to our sunny city. I don't need to tell you how important facilities such as these are to our up and coming players. I am sure you will have noticed that we have only recently recovered from last year's bout of World Cup fever. And that fever is about to become an epidemic. Because after South Africa won the bid to host the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup, the game has become part of the dreams and aspirations of the people of Cape Town. But our people also understand, very clearly, that soccer is about more than just fun.

If you look around you, you can see that this kind of facility will become a valuable public amenity in this disadvantaged area of our city.It will help to pull the community together.

Because, like other team sports, soccer is a critical pathway to self-empowerment and to community development. Through soccer training, our young people have the chance to challenge themselves, to be the best they can be. They gain the opportunity to learn about teamwork and co-operation. And they find a place to focus their energy in a positive way.

The community of Crossroads, like other disadvantaged areas of our city, is home to many talented young individuals just waiting to be given a chance. These members of our youth need investment, in the form of facilities and coaching, so that they can gain a leg-up into our country's top clubs and teams. This in turn will help us to realise South Africa's goal of achieving true diversity in our national sports.

We, as the City, together with the other two spheres of government, are investing massively in new soccer facilities in the form of the new 68 000 seat Green Point Stadium and surrounding sports precinct.

We have been working hard to ensure that this R2.5 bn project comes to life, and leaves a lasting legacy for generations of soccer players and athletes to come.

As many of you will know, the mayor has frequently expressed regret that the new 2010 stadium could not be situated in a more disadvantaged area of the city, so that it could act as a catalyst for development. However, while we conducted an extensive study on such options, no suitable alternative was found that could meet the time and cost constraints.

So we are particularly grateful that organisations such as yours are helping to develop facilities in the areas that need them most.

We would like to see some of the young sportsmen from Crossroads and other parts of Cape Town representing our country in the new Green Point stadium in three years time.

Thanks to the Johan Cruyff Foundation, they have a better chance of getting there than ever before.

I thank you.

Issued by:
Directorate: Communication and Marketing
City of Cape Town
Tel: 021 400 2201
Fax: 021 957 0023

Media queries:
Robert Macdonald
Cell: 084 977 9888

PRESS INVITATION

5 January 2007

AJAX AMSTERDAM ARRIVES IN CAPE TOWN NEXT WEEK - PLANS AND LOCATION FOR DONATED FOOTBALL COURT IN WESTERN CAPE TO BE UNVEILED

MEMBERS of the Dutch soccer team, Ajax Amsterdam, the Ajax Business Associates Club and the Johan Cruyff Foundation will arrive in the Western Cape next week for a training visit, and for the unveiling of plans and the chosen location for a football court that the Johan Cruyff Foundation will be donating to the province.

On the itinerary is also a fixture between Ajax Amsterdam and Ajax Cape Town taking place at the Athlone Stadium on Sunday, 14 January 2007.

The official tourism destination marketing organisation for Cape Town and the Western Cape, Cape Town Routes Unlimited, is absolutely thrilled to welcome the team and delegation to the destination and will be hosting a luncheon for them on Thursday, 11 January 2007, in Crossroads, Cape Town. At this event the Chairperson of the Johan Cruyff Foundation, former international soccer player Johan Cruyff, will announce plans to build a football court in the Western Cape, in co-operation with the City of Cape Town. The identified site for the court is currently being used by children from the area to play street soccer, often till late at night under street lights, illustrating their vivid imagination, enthusiasm and dedication to the game.

The group will be in the Western Cape from 9 to 16 January 2007. As part their itinerary, they will visit Western Cape tourist attractions like Robben Island, Cape wine farms and a golf estate.

The following opportunities exist for media:

UNVEILING OF PLANS AND LOCATION OF JOHAN CRUYFF FOUNDATION DONATED FOOTBALL COURT (LUNCHEON)

Time: 13:00 (strictly)
Date: Thursday, 11 January 2007
Venue: Crossroads Multi-purpose Centre, C/o Sonwabile Drive & Pauli Street, Crossroads (Directions attached)
RSVP: Riana Geldenhuys at 082 460 5554 or rianag@tourismcapetown.gov.za

FIXTURE BETWEEN AJAX AMSTERDAM AND AJAX CAPE TOWN

Time: 16:00 (kick-off) (Curtain-raiser at 14:00)
Date: Sunday, 14 January 2007
Venue: Athlone Stadium
RSVP: Salega Williams at 076 373 8379 or salegaw@ajaxct.co.za

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Johan Cruyff Foundation from The Netherlands supports sports and play for children worldwide, especially underprivileged children and children with a handicap. Founder and Chairperson Johan Cruyff was recently nominated European Footballer of the Century for his exploits as a player during the 70's. After an illustrious playing career and years of involvement in fundraising activities, he decided to concentrate his efforts on sports-based projects for underprivileged children around the world.

Media enquiries:
Riana Geldenhuys
Cape Town Routes Unlimited
Cell: 082 460 5554