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Liam Norkie Task 3
Katelyne Van Den Bergh
In this review, I will look at cricket as a sport and how apartheid impacted players of colour in terms of facilities, coaching, and opportunities, as opposed to how it appears in the post-apartheid era. My interviewee is my father, George Norkie, who played cricket from the time he was in high school until he graduated from college. Listening to him reflect on his playing days versus when I played high school cricket, there are many obvious differences.
In South Africa, economic circumstances affected access to sport, resulting in it being difficult for the majority of non-white people to gain access to good sports facilities, the majority of which were in white areas. Apartheid's legacy had denied townships of sports facilities, and if some were present, it had inadequate resources. An educator from a coloured Cape Town township confirmed the lack of facilities, calling her institution's sports facilities "almost non-existent." According to her, "Aside from the patch of grass, we had a tarmac area where we played netball and a cricket pitch where the guys played. The cost of maintaining other sports were extremely expensive, and we could not manage them. We would never have sufficient equipment with which we could practice skills with”. Obviously, apartheid's legacy impeded certain groups' opportunity to participate in sport, and sport couldn't really develop dramatically until ideological, sociocultural, and economic circumstances changed, notably for the non-white population. (Chappell, n.d.)
In South Africa, economic circumstances affected access to sport, resulting in it being difficult for the majority of non-white people to gain access to good sports facilities, the majority of which were in white areas. Apartheid's legacy had denied townships of sports facilities, and if some were present, it had inadequate resources. An educator from a coloured Cape Town township confirmed the lack of facilities, calling her institution's sports facilities "almost non-existent." According to her, "Aside from the patch of grass, we had a tarmac area where we played netball and a cricket pitch where the guys played. The cost of maintaining other sports were extremely expensive, and we could not manage them. We would never have sufficient equipment with which we could practice skills with”. Obviously, apartheid's legacy impeded certain groups' opportunity to participate in sport, and sport couldn't really develop dramatically until ideological, sociocultural, and economic circumstances changed, notably for the non-white population. (Chappell, n.d.)
Like many other players of colour, my interviewee believed that the sports field was the one place where players from different cultural, social and economic backgrounds could come together to showcase their passion and sporting abilities. Unfortunately for them this could not be done due to the restrictive laws imposed by the apartheid government. It meant that for these scholars, succeeding in their chosen sport would mean obtaining provincial colours and then playing in an annual tournament against other non-white players from the other provinces. The highest accolade for these players would be obtaining the SASSA (South African School Sports Association) colours. This would effectively be the be all and end all of their cricketing season with no opportunity to compete against any other nation. Even with the onset of the post-apartheid era, participation at the highest level in cricket is determined by the school the player attends.
The basis of a solid national team should be laid at the foundation level, which is school-level cricket. Many sports in South Africa are still categorised based on financial status and social standing. As a result, it is essential to look into the development of cricketers from the school level to the national squad. To ascertain whether male cricketers have a superior chance of being selected for South Africa if they attended a private or boys-only school, it is necessary to look into South African cricket's feeder system from school level cricket to national level. A study found that 65% of the 119 South African players who represented the country at world cups between 1992 and 2019 attended boys-only schools. Furthermore, 24 of the national school’s team's 26 captains went to an all-boys school. Only about 50 of the approximately 6,000 high schools nationally produce national cricketers. As a result, thousands of schools continue to face challenges to produce similar cricket stars. The reason is straightforward: there is a lack of basic infrastructure, such as restrooms and running water, as well as sports fields.
The basis of a solid national team should be laid at the foundation level, which is school-level cricket. Many sports in South Africa are still categorised based on financial status and social standing. As a result, it is essential to look into the development of cricketers from the school level to the national squad. To ascertain whether male cricketers have a superior chance of being selected for South Africa if they attended a private or boys-only school, it is necessary to look into South African cricket's feeder system from school level cricket to national level. A study found that 65% of the 119 South African players who represented the country at world cups between 1992 and 2019 attended boys-only schools. Furthermore, 24 of the national school’s team's 26 captains went to an all-boys school. Only about 50 of the approximately 6,000 high schools nationally produce national cricketers. As a result, thousands of schools continue to face challenges to produce similar cricket stars. The reason is straightforward: there is a lack of basic infrastructure, such as restrooms and running water, as well as sports fields.
. There are few coaches, and no long-term sporting culture exists. Between 1992 and 2019, 78 of the country's 119 cricketers who competed in world cups attended a boys-only school, making up for 65% of the total. Likewise, 61.4% of South African test match players attended a boys-only school during that time frame. In one-day international cricket, it is 59%. Between 2005 and 2019, 53.7% of T20 cricketers attended a boys-only school, compared to 46.3% who attended co-ed public schools. Between 1994 and 2019, 24 of the national school’s team's 26 captains attended all-boys schools. This implies that co-ed public schools are not the preferred or best feeder system for South African school cricket captains. Almost all of the top batsmen in the country attended all-boys schools. A large number of bowlers were able to attend co-ed schools. Boys-only schools are a major factor in South Africa's ability to compete at the highest level in men's cricket.