KYLEMORE – Stellenbosch FC’s Open Play Foundation has unveiled its fourth multi-purpose community facility in two years – this time, at the Aitsa! Youth Centre in Kylemore.

Stellenbosch FC (SFC) and the Open Play Foundation (OPF) have marked a milestone in the ongoing commitment to community upliftment through the launch of a new multi-purpose sports and recreational facility in Kylemore, one of the 14 dorpies that form part of the Club’s wider base in the Cape Winelands.

SFC and Remgro founded the Open Play Foundation in 2023 with the mission to enable the children of Stellenbosch to discover their potential by revitalising public spaces into safe and accessible recreational platforms, where the transformative power of sport, culture, and education can be harnessed through community partnerships.

Aitsa Aftercare was established in 2013 and outgrew its original premises within a decade. Its new Youth Centre for high school students was built on Bethlehem Farm in 2024, and during that time, its directors approached Open Play about their need for a multi-purpose sport and recreational space.

Starting in January 2026, two of Open Play’s Kayamandi-based coaches will provide football and netball coaching to Aitsa’s primary and high school students, twice a week. The Open Play Community Coaching Programme has been providing supplementary coaching and sports organisational capacity at school in Kayamandi for more than two years and will now extend its services beyond this community for the first time.

The coaching programme is funded by Open Play, the Greater Stellenbosch Trust’s Citizens Connect Programme, and Rama, who are Stellenbosch FC’s headline sponsor.

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The Aitsa facility was built using stones from the area. Olive Green artificial turf was selected to reduce tension between the manmade structure and its natural surroundings. Similarly, black netting and poles were used to reduce glare, framing the stunning view of the Drakenstein Mountains rather than obstructing it.

The Afrikaans word “aitsa” was adopted from a Khoi word that means “wow” – an expression and exclamation of awe and excitement. The Khoi, pastoralists who kept large herds of sheep and cattle, also built stone enclosures called ǀ’Ui ǃxaib, which translates to “klipkraal” in Afrikaans. Hence, the new Aitsa facility was named Klipkraal, a reference to the natural building materials used in the construction and also to what this facility represents: it’s a fortress, a safe space, and a symbol of how human effort and relationships can protect what is valuable to ensure a bright future.

Klipkraal is Open Play and SFC’s fourth community-infrastructure project in two years:

• GreenSource Sports for Water Facility (Kayamandi Primary, 2023);
• Pinkie’s Promise Multi-purpose court (Ikaya Primary, 2024);
• Fiekie’s Courts of Hope (Pieter Langeveldt Primary, 2024);
• Aitsa Klipkraal (2025).

Stellenbosch Executive Mayor, Jeremy Fasser, oversaw the official unveiling of both Fiekie’s Courts of Hope and Klipkraal.