Two tickets to the blockbuster showdown between the Springboks and All Blacks in Cape Town on 7 September are up for grabs as Stormers coach John Dobson has teamed up with team sponsors DHL and renowned CapeTalk radio host and theatre celebrity John Maytham to raise funds for the Barrydale rugby community.
“On a recent visit to Barrydale, I was very impressed by the spirit of co-operation between significant leaders in the town and in the township, and by the central role that rugby plays in cementing community cohesion,” said Maytham.
READ: Barrydale’s field of dreams delights Dobbo
“I wanted to make a contribution and came up with the idea of auctioning my two tickets for the Boks versus All Blacks Test in Cape Town on 7 September. The total sum raised will be passed on to the Barrydale rugby community. They are great seats in the R3,000 category, near the halfway line in the West Stand. And John Dobson has committed auction items in excess of R10,000 in value.”
“DHL have agreed to match the successful bid for the Springbok tickets up to a value of R30,000,” said Dobson. “And for the auction, I am offering two 2024/25 Stormers season-tickets, Stormers kit – including some that isn’t available the public – and all the proceeds will go to the two rugby clubs, The Flying Eagles and Stryders.”
Bids can be submitted via a link on CapeTalk’s Facebook page, an email to Maytham ([email protected]) or via the CapeTalk WhatsApp line (072 567 1 567). The deadline for bids is 30 August.
Dobson singled out Conroy Williams, whose devotion to improving the lives of so many in Barrydale, through sport, for his unwavering belief in the community.
“Rugby truly is an amazing sport and an amazing tool,” said Williams. “There’s no other sport like it. It has proven time and time again how it unites people of different backgrounds.”
Williams, a boxing and rugby coach and a sergeant in the South African Police Service, launched the Barrydale Fight Night at the Karoo Art Hotel. The event raised the first R100,000 towards building a youth sports centre in Barrydale.
Williams spearheads Upskill Sports, which is about creating opportunities and an environment for healthy sporting activities. He has, through his Panic Room Boxing, Kickboxing Academy and involvement in rugby, mentored many kids and saved them from a gang upbringing.
Dobson said everything Williams was doing with the Upskill programme identified with the Stormers as a group. If the Stormers’ mission was to make the people of the Cape smile, then it was the likes of the Stryders and Flying Eagles who put the smile on those Stormers players and coaching staff.
Photo: Twitter/@Springboks
