Johannesburg - A football derby between neighbouring Noordhoek and Hout Bay will kick off next month to commemorate Chapman’s Peak Drive’s centenary.
The mountainous route on the western side of the Cape Peninsula was officially opened on May 6, 1922, after seven years of construction.
It was an engineering feat back then and it remains an iconic tourist attraction and important artery connecting the Deep South to Hout Bay and the Atlantic Seaboard.
In a bid to celebrate 100 years of the acclaimed road situated on the south-western tip of South Africa, a football match will be staged between Noordhoek Football Club and Hout Bay FC, two teams which are housed in the suburbs which are connected by the road.
General manager of Entilini operating Chapman’s Peak Drive Mark Jacobs said that the football match is a fitting tribute to the renowned national road, which has also been affectionately referred to as “Chappies”.
“Chapman’s Peak Drive is a bridge that connects communities and allows for life on the southern peninsula to thrive,” he said.
“It has opened pathways to new opportunities and even after 100 years, Chappies continues to connect communities, businesses and people from all over the world.”
The football derby between the teams from Noordhoek and Hout Bay will take place on May 7 and will include many match-day festivities.
“We will host matches between competitive teams as well as social teams and encourage all to come and support it,” Noordhoek Football Club chairman Joey Delcarme said.
“We will have food and festivities throughout the day and would love to have the local residents come and join us.”
The Noordhoek Football Club was started in September 2009 by a handful of parents from the community and the club is now open to all.
It started with just two teams but it has grown over the past 13 years to include those under 10 all the way to the over 40 team.
“The response has been so overwhelmingly positive that Noordhoek FC boasts the most integrated soccer club of the southern peninsula,” Delcarme said.
He added that the derby might be competitive, but it is for all to enjoy.
“Besides the healthy entertainment, one of the more remarkable benefits of the initiative is the social and personal spin-off for the participants,” he said.
“For example, some of the parents have started teaching English, as well as providing meals for children who need it because you can’t play on a hungry tummy.”
Meanwhile, chairperson of the Noordhoek Ratepayers Association (NRPA) Brad Bing said that these Chapman’s Peak Drive centenary celebrations will use sport to bring people from all walks of life together.
“Our local club and the Hout Bay FC are places where people from all the different communities, rich and poor, can come together to celebrate the beautiful game,” he said.