The Murry Foundation Sports Academy South Africa receives the support of local government.

After meetings several months ago with SuperSports, the South African equivalent of Sky Sports, the Murry Foundation began entertaining the idea of a Sports and Academic academy that would in the initial stages provide world class facilities and professional coaching to unfortunate children in the local area. The facility consisting of an Olympic swimming pool, rugby and football pitches, netball and tennis courts, an athletics track, cricket ground and accommodation for 250 children will be the largest of its kind in South Africa, and possibly the largest for under privileged children in the world. The aim of the academy is to garner sporting talent through professional coaching, provide education in an environment of competition and opportunity and offer vocational qualifications for children wishing to undertake a career in sports coaching.

The Murry Foundation has acquired further land to develop the 22 hectare sight and has recruited the support of Seam Sports, a company dedicated to the re-establishment of sport in deprived communities. Seam sports who are responsible for coaching two successive South African junior football teams to national success have taken a ‘hands on’ approach to the structuring of coaching clinics, combined with the support of world champion sporting celebrities such as Steve Collins, Frank Bruno and Evander Holyfield and a number of English Premier league clubs who have shown and interest in supporting and twinning with the project.

The recent trip of The Murry Foundation to South Africa has resulted in the garnering of government and provincial support of the project. The Mayer of Limpopo agreed to meet the team at her official offices Phalaborwa, Limpopo. She unreservedly gave her support to the project and was confident that the proposed development would put Gravelotte ‘back on the map’. The Murry Foundation has now entered into an official partnership until 2013 with the Municipality and province of Phalaborwa in the development of sports academic and infrastructure projects with the launch of the Sports Academy as being the pioneering platform.

The project also attracted interest from corporate leaders at the South African Stock exchange. This particular meeting highlighted the importance of a facility that was not a stand alone, sports centre but a means to develop and regenerate an entire community. Seam Sports founders and directors, Greg and Dave, were also present at the meeting and have watched with enthusiasm the project turn into a reality. The Academy will twin with projects in the United Kingdom in a bid to offer a truly international experience to children who benefit from the facility. Children and professionals from the United Kingdom will also have the opportunity to visit the Academy and conservancy to generate interest and understanding in a very worthy cause. The facility will be funded by corporate institutions and revenue from the True Experience tourism project on the neighbouring conservancy. The Murry Foundation have agreed to use local labour and source employment fro the local community to ensure that the local economy runs and at optimum level with the native population reaping the full rewards of all investment in the area.

The estimated investment will be approximately zar 53,000,000