Basketball – a beacon of hope for young athletes

When you step onto the Montana Vikings basketball court, it’s not flashy moves or flashy uniforms that grab your attention. It’s the way the players greet you. Respectfully. Intentionally. Young athletes, all still in school, some barely taller than the ball they’re dribbling, take the time to acknowledge every adult who arrives. They check in. They ask how you are. They look you in the eye.

This is no ordinary sports club. And for head coach Shafiek Allie, that’s exactly the point.

“We’re not just building athletes,” he says. “We’re building people. Basketball is just the vehicle.”

For kids from underserved communities like Montana, Valhalla Park, Bishop Lavis and Gugulethu, Montana Vikings is more than a club. It’s a second home. A place of safety. A place to dream.

Here, young players learn the game, but they also learn discipline, accountability, and the value of unity. Everyone speaks the same language on court, literally and figuratively. Players stick together across age groups and cultural differences. If one goes to the bathroom, the whole crew tags along. If one takes a tumble, the entire team takes a moment. They pray together after every session. They shout as one. And they win.

The Vikings are known across the country for their results on court. But what’s less visible is what it takes to get there: Outdoor practices in all conditions, long commutes for players, shuffling of school and home responsibilities in order to make it to practice, and a coach who’s willing to cover costs from his own pocket so no child is left behind.

That’s where King Price comes in. The insurer’s sponsorship of the Montana Vikings isn’t a branding exercise, it’s a lifeline. “We’re not just sponsoring for the sake of it,” says Marno Boshoff, head of culture at King Price Insurance and the driver of the company’s CSRI programme. “We’re sponsoring where it matters.”

The support helps cover gear, transport, and accommodation for inter-provincial competitions. It relieves the financial pressure on the players’ families and frees Coach Shafiek to focus on what he does best: Mentor young people.

“There’s enough out there that these kids are dealing with,” he says. “I want them to have a place where they know they matter. Where they belong.”

Beyond weekly practices, the club runs an annual basketball camp and hosts a unique 24-hour basketball marathon where kids play in shifts, sleep courtside, and bond as a team. It’s sport with heart. And vision.

Coach Shafiek dreams of building an indoor facility where practices aren’t weather dependent. He dreams of a fund to help cover costs for players who qualify to go to varsity. He dreams of expanding the club’s impact beyond sport and into feeding schemes, school upliftment, and community outreach.

In a part of Cape Town where opportunities are scarce, Montana Vikings is doing more than producing athletes. It’s raising leaders. And with King Price on their team, the club is proving that real change doesn’t always start in a boardroom. Sometimes, it starts on a cracked outdoor court, with a ball, a dream, and a coach who refuses to give up.