boys town

Boys town es lekker goud! Boys town es lekker goud! Boys town es lekker goud! That chant was repeated at least 100 times by players and game-watchers alike after my team (I was playing with Clifford’s team again) won 3-0 in the “final” of a tournament today. They might not be the best soccer players, but South Africans are definitely some of the best celebrators.

My team - "Boys Town" after a win.

Soccer here is a whole different animal. Take a look at the picture above. Notice anything about it? Notice how my teammates, and subsequently the only competition I can get, are ages 12 – 15? Notice how the field we are playing on is all dirt? Notice the mountain in the background that mercilessly shoots dirt onto the pitch with just the slightest breeze? Notice the supporters in the background? And that’s just the half of it. 

Let’s start with the dirt. Every pitch I have played on has been dirt. Wherever there is an empty, flat space, people just throw up some goal posts (often without a net) and call it a soccer pitch. I think its great! Everyone lives in walking distance to at least one soccer pitch, which makes Sunday afternoon games a community activity. Fans line the sideline, looking for entertainment. They drink, shout, heckle, encourage, run onto the field to hug a player that has scored, and chase after soccer balls that are kicked out of bounds. The atmosphere is unbeatable.

The conditions are another story. The ball moves very quickly and unpredictably across the dirt fields. There is so much dirt around that after just ten minutes I end up covered in red dirt. It is so dry here that even after drinking 2 Nalgene’s before a match, my throat feels dry in an instant. And Kimberley is located at an elevation of 5,000 feet above sea level so my lungs haven’t adjusted yet. But I love it. The conditions are forcing me to adapt and I can’t help but feel that this is how soccer is supposed to be played: a group of people, a patch of ground, 4 goalposts and one ball. It’s phenomenal being a part of this.

The girls that I’m playing with are pretty phenomenal too. Not particularly skilled (because they haven’t had the opportunities to train that I have) they have a lot of heart. And I think they like me. I scored two more goals today and after each one all of my teammates ran over and jumped on me. My favorite player, Annalise, would always jump right into my arms so I could pick her up and swing her around. The fans go crazy too. Every time I was near the sideline someone would be calling to me and say, “Lauren! Score a goal for me, Lauren! Score a goal for me!” And the best part of my day was when a little 9 or 10-year-old boy came up to me at the end of the match and told me he loved me because I play soccer so good.

I know I’ve only interacted with these kids a few times and I know we come from completely different places, but I think – and I’m hoping – that I’ll get to keep playing with them and act as a role model. That would be pretty special. And it’s these moments – the moments when I feel like I am making a difference just by playing in the townships or the moments when I’m getting hugged by some adorable South African children that are helping me push through any and all frustrations. This is definitely where I am supposed to be right now and I can’t wait for more of these moments.