The Valley of a Thousand Hills provides a stunning back drop for a fathers day soccer tournament organised by the Valley Trust with local soccer clubs on a sports field with views that stretch to the Indian Ocean and the high rises of Durban.

The soccer tournament provides the draw card bringing together families for a day of sports and entertainment but with a serious HIV prevention message. Again the former professional football players from Footballers for Life are on hand teaming up with the Valley Trust to spread the message that together it is possible to flip HIV to HI Victory.

Peer educators from the Valley trust use the Scrutinize risk game to increase awareness amongst young spectators of the behaviours that place them at risk of HIV infection with a new slant – a red card. The red card campaign aims to mobilise young people to give people red cards, as a referee would in soccer, if they see that they are engaging in behaviours that place them at risk.

Next to the field the Valley Trust counselling and testing personnel have erected tents where mostly men are queuing wanting to know their HIV status. Ziba Mthethwa from the Valley Trust says that they have seen an upsurge in men testing as “as Brothers for Life and the government’s HCT campaign have targeted men to do the right thing and know their HIV status”.

The Valley Trust has put up the Brothers for Life posters featuring prominent sports personalities including footballers Lionel Messi, Teko Modise, Thierry Henri and Matthew Booth at strategic points in areas surrounding the pitch. The participation of the international and national sports stars have been made possible through a unique partnership with Brothers for Life, UNICEF, FC Barcelona, and Manchester United. Nhlanhla Vesi from the Valley Trust explains “these posters are removed as fast as they are put up by people who put them up in their own homes”.

A group of men sitting around having lunch talk in awe of Brother for Life and South African Rugby Captain, John Smit - who is also the captain of the local rugby team – the Sharks. For them Smit is a hero encapsulated by the success of the Springboks and the local team, a role model. “Bring Smit here to talk to us about HIV”, they say, “and you will have a mob that we can guarantee”.

In KwaZulu-Natal – largely seen as the epicentre of the HIV epidemic in South Africa – it would seem that the combination of sport and the commitment of local organizations with funding from USAID/PEPFAR are not only bringing communities together but are scoring a valuable goal for HIV prevention. Prizes for the winning teams were donated by Adidas.