(DURBAN: September 15, 2014) PSL club AmaZulu FC has appointed Newton Sports Agency to develop and facilitate a 10 phase life skills programme for its first team.
The project will be managed by Head of Athlete Development at Newton Sports Dr Kirsten Van Heerden, who will work with a group of 35 senior players on a number of life skills topics over the months of September and October. The life skills program aims to help the players both on and off the soccer field by giving them the tools to deal with life as a both a soccer player and a person.
“Following a comprehensive brief from club management we have developed a working model that is tailored to the needs of the modern football professional. We understand that while the performance on the field is what counts, players can only reach their true potential if they can manage their lifestyles outside of football too,” said Van Heerden.
AmaZulu General Manager Peter O’Conner said the club was determined to achieve a holistic environment where players could thrive both personally and professionally.
“We are a club that wants to remain competitive and grow; to do this we need to create the ideal environment for players to achieve their goals both in soccer and life. We know that football careers can be unpredictable and retirement can come sooner than players think. We therefore want to make sure our players get the most out of their careers and are left better off for having played for AmaZulu,” said O’Connor.
“One often hears of players who battle to manage their lives apart from soccer and this can certainly impact on performance on the field. At AmaZulu we want to change that culture and this programme is a first step in that process of holistic empowerment.”
Newton Sports run athlete development programmes for a number of professional sports organisations and individual athletes.