Article by Randy Engelbrecht PRO – Federated Board of Homing Unions
Article Published 03 August 2009



Is it not time??????????????

During these past few weeks of the season I have had numerous discussions with a variety of people regarding the pigeon sport.

To me the strange thing was not so much about the successes or the failures of the pigeons on Saturday’s, but the conversation centred almost exclusively about how expensive the sport has become. That set a train of thoughts running through my small brain that, no matter who you are or in what union you were racing, we all had this common problem of escalating costs of transport, training, feeding and housing our birds these days.

A loft is no more just a loft, it has become almost a complete competition on its own as to who has the nicest looking loft. It then struck me that if you add up all these factors, you are involved in probably one of the most expensive sporting codes in what should still ultimately be an amateur sport, as the time has long passed the advent of it being just a hobby.

So, is it not time we have a serious look at what we as fanciers and pigeon racing organisations, particularly in the Western Cape can do to counter all of this in order to preserve the sport (hobby) for our children? I have an eighteen-year old son who shows very little interest in the sport. Is it maybe because he realises that it’s a hell of a lot of hard work or is it that he has already made sums that one day when he starts working and he gets involved in the pigeon sport that he’s going to have to spend a fortune to follow in his father’s footsteps. A young man carving out a career for himself in this day and age is surely going to think twice before he commits to spending half of his first few months’ pay cheques on racing pigeons.

Is it not time then that we explore all avenues to find a solution that would help to save our sport from extinction, unless we are quite happy to leave it to just those that really have no money problems. Pigeon racing has become akin to gambling at Grand West where you know that can’t afford to lose the few rand you going to spend, but do so anyway in the hope that you come out there with a few thousand.

Is it not time then that we rather start talking about the solution to the problem than spending our energy bemoaning the difficult state of affairs we find ourselves in. I can think of many ways we could all help to create a more financially friendly environment in which to race pigeons, but this article is a mere expression of thoughts to provoke and promote conversation amongst pigeon fanciers from all walks of life in the Western Cape to investigate ways and means to sustain our beloved sport for all those salt of the earth fanciers who forms such an integral part of our organisations.