Putting back

Umpires at  MSSA's 34th Gauteng Championships:
(l to r): Johan van Breda, Leonard Loftus, Ian Bezuidenhout (Provincial Director) Garth Schoeman, and Ryan Boyes.

Getting into a national team has greater responsibilities than just playing  against top international competition.

Being a member of the national team means that the gamer becomes a role-model. As such there are a number of obligations that the gamer will 'pick-up'.

One such obligation is that all members of the team (as  long as they have reached the age of majority) are expected to umpire at least once in the year in which they serve as a member of the national team.

The reason for this is simple.

Through following this policy, gamers who have not performed at international level are able to not only meet members of the national team, but also interact with such team members.

This way barriers  can be broken down, MSSA's top players can then also assist others in game-play and give much needed assistance.

For this, the team member  shall become an accredited umpire and receive MSSA's very stylish - and much in demand - orange shirt. Ooh!

A good example of one such player who continually puts back is Johan van Breda. Johan was a member of MSSA's 2016 Protea Esports Team which attended IeSF's 8th World Championships, and has umpired at the 34th Gauteng Championships, the 21st North West Championships, and at the National Team Trials.

It is all about putting back...