MACSTEEL Maestros Services

High performance athletes need specialised services to ensure a holistic approach to their development as sport professionals. These services cannot be easily defined as they differ from athlete to athlete. 

• Sports Psychology - athletes consult on anything ranging from performance enhancement like focus, motivation, BMT to personal issues such as anger management, conflict resolution and depression.
• Nutrition - athletes need to carefully monitor their intake of basic foodstuffs, liquid and supplements. This is not only to ensure optimal performance levels but also to prevent the ingestion of illegal substances, often through ignorance.
• Medical assessments and rehabilitation - athletes will consult recognized sports specialists from professors, doctors, podiatrists to physiotherapists and biokineticists.
• Support training programmes are compiled by qualified biokineticists, sports scientists and strength and conditioning trainers.  All athletes have access to fitness centres to carry out these programmes.
• Visual performance specialists assist athletes with hand eye co-ordination.
• Each region has a mentor that will offer individual consultations and group workshops.

MACSTEEL Maestros provides an environment in which exceptional young athletes, from disadvantaged circumstances, have the opportunity to reach their greatest potential and offers customised lifeskills prgrammes to individual athletes and groups to facilitate personal growth.

We witnessed the fruits of our labours in accreditation as we were awarded our licensed training provider status from Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) and our accreditaiton as a learner training provider from Theta.

In addition, we were awarded the Theta tender to conduct lifeskills training for 1,500 PSL (Premier Soccer League), NFD (National First Division), Banyana Banyana, Basetsana and nine provincial women's club teams.

We have successfully delivered services to:

• SA Hockey teams (Men's and women's teams) - we assisted with a unique programme that requried us to upskill eight previously disadvantaged players from each team in an effort to ensure selection on merit.
• SA Seven's rugby team - We have worked with them extensively at their base in Stellenbosch
• Spur Masidlale Soccer Project - We reached 6000 children from 12 regions per annum.
• SA Lifesaving team
• SA Open-water swimming team
• SA Rope-skipping officials
• Santos Football Club
• SA Gymnastics
• SA Weightlifting
• SA Handball Men's team
• UCB Academy team - we have entered our sixth successive season with them and conducted modules with all of the six professional cricket franchises and the franchise coaches. We have also faciliated the Level-three course in their quest for coach accreditation
• SARU - we have published the second edition of the lifeskills manual "Winning The Game Of Life"
• Western Province Cricket Academy - 6 weeks of workshops
• Boland Cricket Academy - 6 weeks of workshops
• WITS - we worked with recipients of sports bursaries

 

Projects - Operation Thembakazi

The Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA), Life Care Group, the Sports Science Orthopaedic Clinic and Calligeris and Dale Physiotherapy practice continue to offer Operation Thembakazi. Aptly named "big hope", this project is aimed  at high ranking athletes who have sustained injuries that render them unfit to participate to sports. The scope of services include shoulder, knee, hand and ankle surgery, but with the programme's timely intervention, many athletes receive sufficient medical assistance rendering surgery unnecessary.

The MACSTEEL Maestros head office selecs candidates and ensures that the process is coordinated in such a way that each athlete receives the best care, during and after the operation. It is so successful that athletes travel from all over South Africa to undergo operations at the Vincent Pallotti Hospital.

"In 2005, I seriously injured my cartilage and tendons in both knees and my tennis future lay in shreds. I approached the Sports Science Institute for assistance. After being interviewed, I underwent three operations followed by a comprehensive rehabilitation programme. It was very important to monito my knee recovery and prevent furhter problems. After that, it was not long before I was in top form again. Not only did I recover physically from this injury, it has taught me a lot about proper training, physio, nutrition and sports psychology. I have gone on and competed in national tournaments, winning the SA Chamionships, and international tournaments, where my ranking has moved up significantly.
Without the Thembakazi programme my tennis career would have come to a complete stop."
- Raven Klaasen, Davis Cup Tennis Player

Athletes who have benefited from the Tembakazi Project:

 

Mfundo Galada (Rugby)	John Masilo (Tumbling)
Lubabalo Mzwakali (Rugby)	Barend Groenewald (Rugby)
Galad Delbrook (Waterpolo and Rugby)	Marvin Swartbooi
Verne Williams	Tatum Alan (Rugby)
Raven Klaasen (Tennis)	Mlami Figlan (Handball)
Lwazi Lallo (Cricket)	Leigh-Ann Naidoo (Volleyball Olympian)
Claude Johnson (Rugby and Athletics)	Lehlohonolo Ramokone (Duathlon)
Chanell Dewee (Volleyball)	Loyiso Nazo (Athletics)
Jade Hearne (Hockey)	Simba Chikona (Rugby)
Ntombiyethemba Nqwababa (Basketball)	Nicholas Nel (Soccer)
Vincent Ntunja (Basketball)	Mikial Lesch (Soccer)
Saergen-Lucc Bester (Soccer)	Dominic Solomons (Rugby)
Rayno Papier (Rugby)	Cameron Thuys (Rugby)
Mogamat Mayman (Soccer)