Johannesburg - Football players of old are to put their skills to use, by mentoring young talent, under a partnership programme with the City. In the run up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the City of Johannesburg is partnering with soccer legends to develop young soccer talent.

According to the city’s official website, football legends will adopt schools in the City's seven regions, where they will set up mentorship and soccer development programmes, according to Junior Ramovha, the deputy director in the City's sports and recreation department.

Addressing the former football players at a planning workshop at the Braamfontein Recreation Centre on Saturday, 23 February, Mr Ramovha said that these players lacked the resources to carry out their everyday activities.

"The City's involvement in your activities will go a long way in fulfilling the 70/80 Soccer Legends' mandate to develop soccer talent. The partnership will also provide impetus for the City of Johannesburg to be the sporting city of choice prior to and after the World Cup in 2010."

Established in 2003, the 70/80 Soccer Legends Organisation is composed of former professional soccer players now involved in coaching, refereeing and rehabilitation programmes. It aims to contribute to the advancement of soccer.

Mr Ramovha said a rehabilitation scheme for all soccer legends would be established soon.

"This will help us do a skills audit to try to establish what role each legend can play to develop soccer in the city."

Some of these former players were living in abject poverty while others had sunk into oblivion, he noted. A register for such people would be opened so that they could get a "stipend" to survive. The grant "is expected to be effective three to four months from now".

"There is so much talent going to waste out there. The City will launch a sports academy that will have satellites in all seven regions. Rehabilitated soccer legends will then help to run such academies."

To put the role of the former players into context, Lutendo Sephugo, from the City's 2010 office, spoke about some of the projects that Johannesburg was undertaking. Fan parks were particularly interesting for John Mnisi, one of the soccer legends who attended the workshop.

Mr Mnisi, who hails from Alexandra, said a fan park should be set up in the township to attract international visitors during the World Cup. The township had a history as old as that of Johannesburg.

"As a tourist destination Alex has so much to offer. The Alexandra Stadium is a good venue where a fan park can be set up."

In response, Mr Sephugo said that a public viewing space could be set up instead of a fan park. FIFA-sponsored fan parks would be set up at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown and at Freedom Square in Soweto.

"These are FIFA-approved and only FIFA sponsors will be allowed to market or sell their merchandise in the fan parks. However, as a community, Alexandra can set up a public viewing space where people can watch World Cup matches."

Mr Sephugo said Mr Mnisi's suggestion could be tabled at the Joburg United for 2010 Summit, to be held at Nasrec on 5 April. At the summit, the public would be able to submit ideas concerning the World Cup and the City would give feedback on progress and the way forward.

Concluding the day's proceedings, Mr Ramovha said that the Joburg Soccer Legends Committee would be launched on 3 May.

"Hopefully, we will have a full house on the day," he said, commenting on the poor attendance at the workshop. Only a handful of members of the 70/80 Soccer Legends Organisation attended the meeting. Most of them were at the funeral of Steve "Disco" Makua, who played for Witbank Aces in the late 1970s and 1980s. - BuaNews