GAUTENG – Craig Govender’s dream has created a medical oasis in a country where many wildernesses of poverty and inequality leaves sport amateurs uncared for.

But now he is on the verge of transforming his dream into a life-changing reality that can serve many pockets of societies around the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium with distinction.

The Wanderers Sport Medical Centre (WSMC) was birthed by the passion of Govender, an internationally known medical professional and the full-time physiotherapist of the bizhub Highveld Lions 11 months ago.

His life-long commitment was to offer a full bouquet of medical services to athletes and to bridge the gap between the amateur and the fully-fledged professional sportswomen and –men.

Ultimately, his long-term life-purpose is to lure an investor with a passion to serve so many disadvantaged South Africans from all cultural backgrounds who are amateur sportspeople and talented.

Yet, their full worth has been untapped due to injuries, lifestyle-challenge, a lack of fitness but also a shortage of funds to use the full array of professional medical skills on offer at the WSMC.

Govender says it often happens that amateurs at club level are injured and don’t necessarily have the financial ability to pay for their rehabilitation.  Nor are the coaches aware of were to refer too.

They might even have the wrong sets of life-skills and a lifestyle that undermines their potential.

The WSMC have professionals on board to assist in injury prevention, but also to address the below-the-waterline psychological needs that individuals require.

“We have Biokinetictists; Chiropractors; Clinical Psychologists; Dieticians; Homeopaths; Sports Physicians; Orthotist and Prosthetist; Podiatrists; Physiotherapists; Sports Massage Therapists; a Sports Vision Optometrist and fitness trainers in a state-of-the-art gymnasium, sponsored by Origin Fitness SA.

“Thus the WSMC is a one-stop shop at the Bidvest Wanderers Cricket Stadium, in a safe and secure environment to service the medical, psychological and life-skills needs of all people. Currently all these practitioners are private in their capacity. All their services are open to the general public and anyone who wants to be treated by renowned practitioners can be and they can also join the state-of-the-gym and train with the professionals.”

“But my mission is to lure a big corporate naming-right sponsor to the centre which will unlock the financial capabilities to offer these services free of charge as a Corporate Responsibility Initiative to members of the public who are disadvantaged and cannot afford private medical and psychological health care,” Govender said.

As a student who completed a Masters-degree as a physiotherapist at the University of the Western Cape, he was comprehensively impacted by the outlook on life and quest to develop holistically rounded sportswomen and –man of Nick Kock and Prof Johan Graaff, who are directors at the Sports Skills for Life Skills (SS4LS).

They were instrumental in developing a bursary to help students from previously disadvantaged areas to enhance their talent in sport but also to provide the opportunity to obtain a tertiary education. Kock and Prof Graaff also set up life-skills and leadership-development programs to enhance the skills of the cricketers to become captains of club teams and leading figures in their communities.

This philosophy of aiding previously disadvantaged sports-women and man also underpins the quest by Govender to establish the WSMC.

Govender who served as an apprentice under Evan Speechly at the bizhub Highveld Lions in 2009 and since 2010 has been employed by the franchise. He has also worked for four years as the physiotherapist of the South Africa A team. He was also privileged to work as physiotherapist of the South African team in three One Day Internationals.

“An important incentive for me is to prepare amateurs to be pro-active in preventing injuries, and to receive all their medical, fitness and life-skills assistance at one centre without having to pay fees that are challenging in this era.

“But currently amateurs have to pay as my life-mission of getting a naming-right sponsor on board, is still in a developmental phase.

“If I succeed with that purpose, the financial injection will fully equip me to provide that bouquet of service to a vast group of sporting amateurs and members of the public who don’t have the capacity to pay for these services.

“We are committed in growing our services. And as a start up company it is extremely important to get as many people moving through the Wanderers-turnstiles to visit the medical centre.

“And they are served by world-class medical practitioners that were cherry-picked by me.

“We want to lure more than 150 amateurs and ordinary South African sportswomen and –men per day. Our 11-month old baby, the WSMC, is still at an infancy stage and growing.

“If we succeed in our quest to secure a naming-right sponsor, it will offer a comprehensive service to South Africans in so many spheres, from sport-injury prevention and fitness development to improved fully motivated amateurs who can make the transition to become professional athletes.

“Ultimately, it will be to the benefit of disadvantaged South Africans in the Gauteng-area and improve the fully resourced centre to create a better life for all South African sporting amateurs,” said Govender.