OUR PURPOSE
To use our expertise to do good for individuals, families and society. We achieve this through innovative partnerships and the ability to bring a strong social dimension to sponsorship. Our underlying sponsorship philosophy is aligned with our brand strategy to meet business objectives, create networking opportunities and hospitality and promote community involvement and broad-based appeal.
HUBS AND RPC PROGRAMMES
Lions Cricket continues to invest in 7 township-based HUBS and 1 Regional Performance Centre (RPC) serving previously disadvantaged communities within Gauteng offering coaching and mentorship programmes.
The objectives of the hubs are to develop and maintain effective mass participation programmes from grassroots right through to senior cricket.
Seven hubs and a girls under 16 invitational team take part in the annual Sunfoil Night Series Tournament. The tournament is truly the darkroom in which many young players have found themselves being discovered, and not only representing their province but their country as well.
The RPC space is our high-performance environment where our students get specialised coaching by elite coaches as well as provincial coaches. The RPC objective is to nurture the talent whether it be club based or multiple hubs housing the elite player programme. This is done with the aim of preparing them to excel in their cricketing disciplines and play more (increased participation) and more quality (increased excellence) matches at the highest level possible.
Lions Cricket Union is proud to provide a platform where we can nurture young talent that can develop into our national flag carriers as part of the Proteas team.
HUBS in different townships in Gauteng include – Soweto, Dobsonville, Sedibeng, Orange Farm, Central, South (Ennerdale, Lenasia, Eldorado Park and Orange Farm) and the West Rand (Azaadville, Swaneville, Kagiso and Toekomsrus).
Annually, in excess of fifty youth participants per hub across six hubs are selected to participate in the annual Sunfoil Under 13 Night Series Township Tournament. Best identified talent gets selected in the CGL representative teams to participate in regional and provincial teams and later identified for bursaries at elite schools.
The long-term vision of Lions Cricket is to set up a world-class cricket development school of excellence in townships where most promising young talent can be mentored and coached within the vicinity of their community. While Model C scholarships are needed, closer integration with the community is pivotal in order to encourage young talent to develop own communities and ensure sustainability.
Opportunities include scholarships/bursaries to study at elite schools such as Jeppe Boys’ High, St Stithians Boys’ College, Parktown, KES etc as well as tertiary institutions such as the University of Johannesburg and Wits University to further their studies. We ensure we go above and beyond including the opportunity to be part of the focus school like Queens and Krugersdorp High School where we continue to nurture talent through cricket and academic progress.
Lions Cricket Union also continues to develop elite athletes through participation in National tournaments. Our RPC teams continue to compete in the boys school league to ensure players are exposed to the best cricket available. RPC also play against their equivalent country wide.
Certain participants were selected to play in the annual CSA Under 19 Week. The Khaya Majola Under 19 Week is one of SA’s prestigious tournament where not only Proteas selected scout for talent but also international scouts.
Some of the Regional and National Festivals include – Momentum Under 13 national week, Under 15 and Under 17, Momentum National Boys week, Under 19 National Girls week, Regional Under 11, Under 12, Under 13, Coca Cola T20 Schools Competition, Under 16 Regional Performance Centre Week and KZN Under 19 Regional Performance Week.