The name that Mark would rather be called above all others, is coach. He has been coaching since 1981 at various levels and sports and capacities. In 2011 for example, after coaching the WP U16 team in the Finals in Italy, 24 hours after landing, he was coaching grade 1’s and 2’s at a special needs school, including double amputees.
His passion for all things and all people is to develop, and sport is a terrific conduit for this.
Does sport mimic life, or does life mimic sport?
in 2008 Mark identified the need for more specialized and professional training for young people that would like to explore Baseball. He started working with kids from all cultures and backgrounds came to the academy and an U14 team was created. 6 years later that team was in the Major League of Western Province Baseball and EVERY SINGLE PLAYER had been selected for Western Province.
Pole 2 Pole Baseball (P2P) was a natural step forward for the Baseball Academy (TBA).
Mark and his best mate, Georg Bull in Germany who owns and runs the DBA (Deutsche Baseball Akademie) put an annual tourney together where their teams would compete in Cape Town.
UCan is the next natural step and that is to run holiday camps for young people that would like to develop in sport.
Mark is the Vice President for International Slow Pitch Softball for Africa.
He has been tasked to develop the sport of Slow Pitch Softball through out Africa, while focusing specifically on South Africa.
This will start with a youth league in the Swartland.