REC Football Development Academy was formed in 2013. At the time when the Academy was formed the school did not have its own sport facility so REC rented and borrowed football fields from various entities including a well-known Rugby club in Rustenburg, Orbit FET College, Grenville High School and Tegnies High. The arrangement was that REC will use their facilities to train and in exchange our 6 dedicated coaches would train their schools soccer teams.
The result was that REC excelled in the soccer leagues and so did the schools we were involved with. On account of the tournaments and weekend clinics arranged by REC there was a lot of activity in the Departmental Schools sports calendar. Selectors and scouts from premier league teams regularly attended our matches and students from the various schools enjoyed great exposure to senior club selectors..
In 2013 REC purchased a large property next to the school in Olifantsnek and started a long process of rezoning and construction of a sport facility. Finally in October 2015 REC Sport field was inaugurated. The pavilion and ablution facility was completed a few years later in 2019.
Since the school could now train undisturbed on their home grounds they performed even better producing wins in the various school tournaments. This included victories in McDonalds Cup, Coca Cola Cup, Platinum Series, the Sunbake Series and the Department Education league. REC then qualified to compete in the prestigious ABC Motsepe Cup which is run nationally every year.
2021 Brought even greater success when REC Soccer Academy topped the Rustenburg Local Football Association (RULFA) league and were then promoted to play in the SAB League. The South African Breweries Regional League is the fourth tier of domestic football in the South African football pyramid. There are 832 clubs with over 2000 teams and 50 000 players competing in this national competition.
The rules stipulates that at least seven players in the team has to be younger than 19 and school going, whereas the rest of the players can be of any age. REC will likely be the only team competing to include only players of its own school and academy. REC is one of the highest achieving soccer teams in North West and much more is planned for this development.
Mr. Phila Ncube, head coach and sport director of REC is a dedicated soccer coach and once played for Jomo Cosmos Football club. He was also included in a 1995 / 1996 squad to play in the development team for Jomo Cosmos who travelled to Manchester and Birmingham in the United Kingdom. After his return he suffered a knee injury that would end his professional career as player.
Mr. Ncube did not allow this minor obstacle to hamper his passion for soccer and he became first assistant coach and later head coach for Platinum Stars of Royal Bafokeng. During this time he also formed his own Semi- Professional team called The Reebok Squad who was later sold to a private buyer. Mr. Phila has been involved with REC since 2002.
