Sport in Seenigama and surrounding villages

Sport is an important factor in the lives of young people throughout the world, however in the rural villages of Sri Lanka there are not many opportunities for them to play, practice or enter competitions, particularly outside of school. In 2005 the Foundation of Goodness was fortunate to receive sponsorship from Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which funded the ‘Seenigama Sports’ - a structured sports programme for Seenigama and the schools and village clubs in the surrounding area.

The programme started in September 2005 with six villages taking part, but as it’s progressed other schools and village clubs have participated and numbers are still growing. Currently villages involved regularly are: Seenigama, Kahawa, Kalupe, Peraliya, Thotagamuwa, Telwatta, Nelsanpura, Hikkaduwa, Malawenna, Werellana, Nawagannakolawattha, Rejjipura Tsunami Camp.

Seenigama Sports also hosts larger volleyball, beach football and sea-swimming competitions which attract clubs from the whole of the Galle District. The project is very much part of the lives of the young people in this area with over 1,000 participants each month.

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Sports played

Although volleyball is the most popular, it is not the only sport being played. The program currently has regular competitions in eight different sports.

Volleyball: Every month competitions are held for the schools and the village sports clubs. Teams have really benefited from having regular competitions, and some teams’ games have improved so much that it is evident in their competitiveness at local and national tournaments.

The programme is open to all age groups from Under 13s to Open Men’s and Women’s teams, which has benefited individuals and teams not only in their sporting achievements but also to move on from the tsunami.

In October 2006 the programme held a volleyball competition for the whole Galle District area which gave regular participants the opportunity to play against new teams, and opened up the Seenigama Sports project to other Sri Lankan sportspeople in the Southwest of Sri Lanka. Teams came from as far as Bentota in the North and Talpe in the South. Following the success of this event, two more of these bigger competitions are planned for each year.

Beach Volleyball: This is a popular sport amongst the young men of the local villages and it also draws in a lot of spectators. Although the competition is only held every quarter it helped four of our players to improve their game so much that they travelled to Jersey to take part in the annual Beach Volleyball Competition, and return as the champions.

X-country Running: Cross-country races are held every quarter with the route passing through the villages of Malawenna, Kalupe, Thotagamuwa, Werallana and Seenigama – five miles for the men’s race and three miles for the women’s. This usually takes place on a Saturday with people from the villages lining the roads offering the runners water and others following the competitors on bikes and in tuk-tuks to the finish line. This is a great sport, particularly for those unable to regularly practice in the team games. The recent Under 16 and Open races brought many new participants and keen runners to the start line.

Swimming: In this area of Sri Lanka the season for swimming in the sea is October to April when it is safe in the water. Initially the swimming race route was to the Devol temple in the sea and back to shore, a distance of approximately 100 metres. The races always attract a lot of spectators. This particular sport is important for the positive impact it has on local kids. After seeing people compete in the first race held in October 2005 many of them went to the sea that afternoon to swim, which is likely to be the first time they had done so since the tsunami. Regular competitions held here have helped to make the beach a place of leisure rather than somewhere to fear.

From a competitive point of view there are many talented swimmers in this area who rarely have the opportunity to compete, so participating in the races gives them the opportunity to train. With this in mind a Galle District race of 2km was held at the end of 2006 which brought many participants from the Galle region and hundreds of spectators. More district races are planned for February and November 2007.

February 2007 will also see opportunities to expand our swimming activities for the local people through a wonderful new facility - a 25m swimming pool being built in the village. This is possible with gratitude and thanks to the sponsorship of singer Bryan Adams. It will give local talent a great chance to train and also the opportunity for many more young people to learn to swim. A Seenigama Swimming Club is planned for later in the year.

Sports Centre: Aside from all the competitions and training sessions that have been made possible through Seenigama Sports, we are also building a new sports centre due to open later this year. The centre will comprise of an indoor sports hall with volleyball, netball and badminton courts; indoor cricket nets; gymnasium; club house; swimming pool and cricket ground – complete with pavilion and score board. The completed centre will be an incredible resource for the area and is already gaining interest as the locals have watched the creation of our cricket ground from marshy ground to stunning cricket pitch. The ground is a wonderful facility for those wanting to learn cricket using a leather ball and to play competitively.

The new facilities would not have been possible without the help of donors from around the world: Surrey Country Cricket Club; Oval Cricket Relief Trust; The Cruse Family; Mr Harry Solomons – Kingsgrove Sports; Cricket New South Wales; Bryan Adams; Western Australia Cricket Association; and Professional Investment Services Australia.

The Sports Centre will nurture the talents of local players and be a core hub of the community where young people can train and practice their sports for their leisure, develop their skills, and increase their competitiveness. Be it swimming, cricket, volleyball, netball, badminton, football, or even table tennis the young people of this area will be able to move on in their lives through sport.

Testimonials

The sports programs in Seenigama and surrounding areas have made an unbelievable amount of difference to the lives of people who have talent and passion, and just needed the opportunity to make the most of it.

The real benefits of the program are far reaching – as these testimonials demonstrate.

“Before the tsunami I was always keen on sport but there was not much organised. I played volleyball (my favourite sport) about once or twice a year in school and club competitions, and also took part in x-country running races organised annually for the Sri Lankan New Year festivities. Since Seenigama Sports began I have taken part in every sport: volleyball, beach volleyball, x-country running, sea swimming, and badminton.

This project has not only improved my life by bringing in regular sports, it has also helped me improve my game and get fitter. I have also been given uniform and shoes which I am too poor to buy for myself. Volleyball is the most important sport to me; I like team work best and have enjoyed playing it since I was a small child. It has also helped me to have a normal life again, by being with my friends and also learning from the other players.

There have been two highlights for me from the Seenigama Sports project. Firstly, I was selected to go to Jersey to play in a Beach Volleyball competition in July last year. This was a dream come true for me - I never imagined I would be able to travel abroad in my life especially to play my favourite sport. Secondly, I have been given a job opportunity with the project to work as an Assistant Volleyball Coach. I am proud to be doing this job as I want to pass on my skills to others and encourage them too to better their lives through sport.

I wish Laureus Sport for Good Foundation many blessings to do good works in the future, not only in Sri Lanka but for everyone in the world. I think others should benefit and change their lives in the way that I have been able to through Seenigama Sports.”

Suranga Nilan Uberathna Dadallage, Assistant Volleyball Coach

“After the tsunami disaster the Foundation of Goodness helped us in various ways. Under the ‘Seenigama Sports’ project they gave us sports equipment, training sessions and also organised many games for our students to partake in every month. This has helped us to further develop the sports skills of our students. In the history of our School we have never been chosen for the Provincial Games, but last year our under 15 Boys’ Volleyball team was selected to these games. I believe that the reason for this is their regular participation in the Seenigama Sports project which has really helped. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those responsible for the backing and running of this project.”

Mr. K.H. De Silva, Act. Principal, G/Kahawa Rathanasara School MV

“I like swimming, but I have not enough facilities to develop my sports skills. Mainly we do not have enough swimming competitions in this area. But from Seenigama Sport Project I have the ability to develop my sports skills. Also, I am happy with the cash prizes they are giving after games to the winners. In the first competition I did not have proper swimming attire for the competition, then after I got the prize money I got all the goods I need for swimming. At this moment I would like to thank Laureus for giving us this opportunity when so much has been lost.”

L Thushita Chamara, swimmer.