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Allen Khumalo, Sports Reporter
FIRST Mobile Sports Academy (FMSA) donated balls to Highlanders’ different sporting disciplines at the club’s weekly press briefing on Thursday.

Among the donation were balls for netball, soccer, rugby and basketball teams, jackets for the football coaches, gloves for junior goalkeepers, armbands for the captains and whistles. FMSA representative Bekithemba Dube said the donation follows an appeal by Highlanders’ acting chairman Modern Ngwenya.

“It is our pleasure as FMSA to respond to an impromptu call made by the Highlanders’ chairman when our boys played Highlanders at Hartsfield. I had to call our director in Canada to help this team with the required training balls. The director responded fast and decided to donate balls for all Highlanders’ sporting disciplines like soccer, rugby, basketball and netball to motivate the players. He would also like to thank Highlanders for taking our boys on attachment and we hope to continue with the culture and help more whenever needed,” said Dube.

Highlanders’ secretary-general Emmett Ndlovu hailed the academy, saying Highlanders would not have survived for 90 years without the involvement of the community.

“Highlanders does not belong to the executive or board of directors, but to everybody. Some people might be involved with other clubs or teams, but it does not take away the fact that Highlanders has been in existence since 1926. We celebrated our 90th birthday in football and we would not have survived in a vacuum without the community just like this academy has decided to make this donation. I am sure it will go a long way and even the players and community know that this team is not about a few individuals, but the community must take the lead,” said Ndlovu.

“We all have to take the lead for future generations. We owe the existence of this team to future generations. That generation will one day question where we were when this mighty institution crumbled. We want to thank all the directors of FMSA for this kind gesture and certainly all other sporting disciplines under Highlanders will benefit from it”.

— @khumzallen