The NWU will make its expertise available to work together with the well-known football club, Kaizer Chiefs , to help develop young soccer players.
During a national media launch on Friday, 18 October 2013, the Vaal Triangle Campus of the North-West University (NWU Vaal) and the Kaizer Chiefs Football Club officially announced their partnership that will see the University availing its expertise to benefit young talented footballers at the club’s Youth Academy in Johannesburg.
The Centre for Continuing Professional Development ( CCPD ) on the Vaal Triangle Campus will serve as the point of contact between the football club and experts across the University. The expertise will be specifically utilised to develop young football players in totality and therefore do not only include playing skills. The NWU will provide consultancy and advice on a wide variety of topics . These include finance, nutrition, psychological preparation for high performance sport and physical conditioning. The footballers will be developed in academic and professional fields in order to prepare them for life after their professional football careers.
“The specific type of knowledge that will be required will depend on Kaizer Chiefs ‘ needs. For example, if they need knowledge pertaining to the nutrition for sportsmen , we put them in touch with the nutritionists at the Potchefstroom Campus, “says Mr Ederick Stander , project manager at the Vaal Triangle Campus.
NWU experts from the Vaal Triangle Campus is already working to help with the construction of a business plan and a manual for the Youth Academy and the manual is set to cover elements such as social , intellectual , physical , tactical and technical development.
Entire NWU to benefit
Ederick says the partnership with Kaizer Chiefs has several benefits for the NWU.
In addition to the marketing benefits of the association with a world-renowned brand like that of Kaizer Chiefs, the NWU will strengthen its third stream income revenue through the implementation of expertise.
According Ederick there is already evidence that the association with the club benefits the University as a whole. ” As a result of the agreement , Kaizer Chiefs ‘ senior team , the reigning Absa Premiership and Nedbank Cup champions , already had two of their pre – season training camps at the FNB High Performance Institute for Sport at the Potchefstroom Campus . The club is furthermore already paying the Vaal Triangle Campus, a monthly service fee for the provision of professional services. “
Innovation
Another result of the collaboration between Kaizer Chiefs and the University is the Kaizer Chiefs Innovation Centre that will be vested on the Vaal Triangle Campus in 2014. This centre – a first of its kind within the higher education sphere, will allow staff and students , as well as supporters from the local community , the opportunity to experience the total Kaizer Chiefs brand experience.
The center will consist of a two storey building. In the lower room, a wide range of Chiefs products on sale , while the upper room will serve as office space where graduate students and academics can do of the NWU such research .
Ederick believes the NWU ‘s association with Kaizer Chiefs will give way to several research opportunities in disciplines such as sports management, sports science and sports psychology .“The partnership with Kaizer Chiefs is proof of the NWU’s good reputation as a research institution with an excellent knowledge base and as an internationally recognized destination for sports development,” he said.
Article issued by NWU Vaal