Special guest Gary Mabbutt at the new village in Rustenburg - Photo: Tottenham Hotspur
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Tottenham Hotspur will be using monies received from players' fines to cover the running costs of a family home in the new children's village in Rustenburg – a family home which was also built with donations from Spurs. In addition, the football club will support a variety of community development projects in and around Rustenburg.
Tottenham club officials and player legend Gary Mabbutt recently visited this new project in South Africa, where they met SOS employees and the first children to have found a new home and family at the children's village in Rustenburg.
Speaking during the visit, Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy said: "We are delighted to be taking the first steps in what we know will be a hugely beneficial project for the local community. It represents a responsible use of players' fines and will also be fully underwritten by the club."
"We have had a massive supporter base in South Africa ever since our success in the 1960s and still enjoy an affinity with the country where we were made to feel so welcome in our 2003 pre-season tour. We look forward to becoming an important part of life for hundreds of children and young people," Levy added.
Forming friendship through football - Photo: Tottenham Hotspur
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Former Tottenham captain and England international Gary Mabbutt said: "I am impressed with the novel thinking behind using the players' fines for this good cause and it is great to see the club fully supporting SOS Children's Villages. The players have greeted this news enthusiastically and are keen to give their support."
Andrew Cates, Chief Executive of SOS Children"s Villages in the United Kingdom, was particularly pleased by the partnership: "It's fantastic that a football club like Tottenham Hotspur has made a commitment to helping some of the world's most vulnerable children, particularly in their original use of the players' fines. We look forward to working with the club to create some real improvements to children's lives ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa."
The children"s village in Rustenburg is one of six such projects built with donations collected from the highly successful 6 villages for 2006 campaign. The other five children's villages constructed under this campaign were built in Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Ukraine and Vietnam.