History shows that any new club entering the proverbial ‘Lions Den’ of the ABC Motsepe League’s Second Division endures a fair bit of criticism and understandably so, as it’s not for the faint-hearted!
‘One hit wonders’ or ‘Fly by nights’ were tags given to clubs like Antalyaspor, Inter Africa Academy, Police FC, Eagle Performance Academy and many others who promised the world but succumbed to the pressure and demands of this financially draining league – as they can testify, this league and football in general will humble anyone.
This begs the question: what can be expected from the newbie Hope FC, who will play their home games at Erica Park in Belhar this season? This follows after they acquired the Second Division status of Oriented Birds via Sea Points Swifts at the Metropolitan LFA – What really sets them apart from the rest?
The answer is simple, the club’s owner is RLabs, under the leadership of its founders Marlon and Rene Parker (pictured), who are also responsible for its global expansion. This duo, who come from humble beginnings, Marlon from Silvertown and Rene from Bonteheuwel, has, over the years, shown that everything they touched, along with their fantastic team at RLabs, turned into a major success.
It’s also because these bridgebuilders and visionaries share a common goal and passion to educate, empower, and enrich the lives of future generations, ultimately creating and amplifying the message of HOPE among communities and the broader country.
“This is much more than just football,” Marlon pointed out to No Bones with Jones. “If I can share with you how the inspiration for considering football came about…. So, many of the young people entering our RLabs premises to empower themselves and to gain knowledge also have other (sporting) dreams and aspirations of becoming professional footballers, and this is what prompted the idea. We had to create an avenue to foster that in line with the educational aspect to contribute holistically to their development.
“Look, we all know too well that only a small percentage get to excel in sport, but if we can create options for them to fall back on, why not? And this is basically why we answered their call. However, to play football, you must be enrolled in the educational programme, as they go hand in hand,” Marlon stated.
RLabs’ contribution, which encourages and fosters hope in communities, also has a deeper and personal meaning for Marlon, as it was manifested at a young age already.
“I look at one role model and that is where I have drawn all my hope and courage from, and that is my mother, Norma Parker. My mother was young when she fell pregnant with me. She had to make a tough decision, you know.
“And my mother chose to keep the baby, me, not knowing how she was going to raise her baby, but the one thing she had was HOPE. And for that I can never repay my mother and for everything she did, but I can certainly keep alive and spread the message of HOPE in society,” Marlonn further added.
So, who is Marlon really? He is local boytjie from Silvertown who matriculated from Garlandale Senior Secondary back in the nineties. He furthered his academic career at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, where he studied Information Technology.
Marlon’s LinkedIn profile gave a better insight into the career of this unsung hero. “Marlon Parker is deeply committed to community, technology, and innovation, which has shaped his career and led to the creation of RLabs, a social enterprise that has reached over 65 million people in 24 countries.
“Recognised by Quartz as a leading African Innovator in 2017 and named among the 100 World Class South Africans, Parker has also earned accolades as an honorary faculty member at the International School of Digital Transformation, a non-resident fellow at New York University, and a member of the GITEX Impact Council.
“His contributions to social entrepreneurship have garnered him prestigious titles such as a WEF Young Global Leader, a Schwab Foundation Social Innovation Fellow, a Dangote Fellow, and an Ashoka Fellow. Most recently, Parker has launched RLabs Capital, which focuses on investing in and managing a portfolio of scalable technology and impact-driven companies founded by underrepresented entrepreneurs”.
