​Not only is Marks Park Sports Club the home of champions and future Proteas, the City of Johannesburg-owned sports facility has also been raising awareness for breast cancer in partnership with the Central Gauteng Lions.

The historically rich Emmarentia-based facility also joined the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. It partnered with other organisations and delivered food parcels in townships around Johannesburg during the hard lockdown when people could not go to work.

This multipurpose facility houses many different codes of sport. The four fields are shared between cricket, soccer, baseball and rugby. The well-manicured green fields are enjoyed by the club members, the community of Emmerentia and all those who pass daily, including visitors.

“The City of Joburg has assisted us in creating a great facility for cricket and other sports in Gauteng and thank you,” says the Marks Park Cricket Club executive Ayub Sayed.

“We involve sponsors and businesses in the area to also assist. This helps us grant our members the best opportunity to succeed and we are equally grateful,” says Sayed.

Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development in the City of Johannesburg Cllr Margaret Arnolds says the City applauds the efforts of residents who put time and sweat equity into giving back to their communities.

“We are proud of the strides that Marks Park are making in uplifting their community, and the community’s participation in supporting sports development,” says MMC Arnolds.

Over years, Marks Park has excelled at ensuring that the youth spend their days playing sports and participating in healthy activities.

Hussein Manack, the former team selector of the Proteas and current head coach at Marks Park Cricket Club, says: “We are trying to keep the children off the streets. It is important that people from all walks of life have access to cricket.”

“Marks Park Cricket Club is a non-racial cricket club and we believe that we are a conduit for players from disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as for players who are not able to attend traditional cricketing schools, to reach greater heights in terms of the sports.”

Marks Park Cricket Club was crowned the Enza Premier League A champions for the 2020-21 season. “We are proud of our boys. Our prem A team has made history last season to be the first ‘black club’ since unification to win the premier league in Gauteng,” says Manack.