After more than two decades, the oldest Futsal Club in the Western Cape, Inter-Belhar, finally has a place they can call home – the Belhar Indoor Sports Centre.
And no one is more delighted and relieved than the Taliep brothers, Fazlur (pictured left) and Majedie who established the club back in 2001 – long before most in the sport really knew it existed.
Hence, it was an emotional occasion for the Taliep brothers when the centre opened its doors on Friday for the first official matches as they have been the driving force for the promotion of the sport in Belhar and surrounding areas.
The centre was buzzing with futsal lovers along with their parents, families and came out in their numbers to attend the ‘birth’ of the exciting sport in their community.
It is safe to say that without Fazlur and Majedie Futsal would probably not have been as popular to the kids in their community as it is today.
“Wow, from humble beginnings we are here today,” Fazlur told No Bones with Jones. “It has been a rough journey with lots of ups and downs, but we stuck to our guns. I also need to say Shukran (thank you) to my brother for exposing me to the sport.
“But a bigger thanks to the man who made all this possible, Faried Davids. Faried is probably one of the humblest guys around and what I love (and hate) about him is that he never wants any recognition or credit for what he does.
“If only we can have more people like him in other sporting codes, he really makes things happen and this here tonight at the Belhar centre is all down to his vision,” Fazlur added.
The Taliep brothers have taken it upon themselves to grow the game and give children options and alternatives with the high-paced and exciting game of futsal. Fazlur, who is the captain of the Inter-Belhar senior team, admitted that he was initially not sold on the sport until he had a setback on the football field.
“I used to play 11-a -side (football) and a knee injury forced me out of the game,” Fazlur further stated. Majedie twisted my arm and kept on telling me I can rehabilitate myself with futsal. I was paranoid as my knee was not fully recovered.
“Alas! After my first (futsal) game I never looked back. This was probably my destiny, all thanks to my younger brother and I will forever be grateful to him – he knew something I didn’t. There are so many positives with futsal as it can be played all-year round. It keeps you very fit as well, so there are no excuses and it helps with a balanced lifestyle,” Fazlur concluded.
Inter-Behar is currently the biggest Futsal club in the Western Cape with age categories from under.8 (boys and girls) to the seniors. Anyone interested in joining the club can contact 076 088 235 or 079 228 2659 for more information.
