The
2012 under-15 COPA Coca-Cola football tournament will reach a climax when the 9
provincial winners compete in the National Finals happening at the Nike
Football Centre, Soweto from 12 to 14 July.
The
National Finals are a culmination of months of gruelling qualifiers to find the
best school team to represent the province at the National Finals. Approximately 1 500 schools registered to
participate and it is now down to just nine.
With
reigning champions HTS Louis Botha Technical High School from Free State, and
runners-up Sol Plaatje Secondary School from North West out of the running, it
opens the door for others such as Bodikela Junior Secondary School from Thabo
Mofutsanyana Region in Free State and newcomers, Masibonisane High School from
Umkhanyakude Region in KwaZulu-Natal.
Bodikela
last reached the National Finals in 2005 with their under-17 team and now, 7
years later, they have managed to reach this level again, through hard work and
perseverance. What helped was the fact
that the players have been together since they competed at the under-12 level.
“We
are as ready as we’ll ever be,” says Bodikela coach, Mokoni Molefe. “The team
has two fantastic goalkeepers and excellent players on the wings. They make
beautiful crosses that usually end in goals. We can’t wait.”
Molefe
is also convinced that some of his players will catch the attention of scouts
who will be at the event. “Being identified as a potential star is importance
to the youngsters,” said Molefe. “Most
of my players would like to go into a development structure that will guide
them to becoming better footballers as well as giving them career advice.”
Games
kick-off at 9am on 12 and 13 July. On
the final day the third/fourth play-off starts at 10am, followed by a match
between the South African Schools Football Association (SASFA) and the media
with the final game happening at 12pm.
Entrance is FREE and Coca-Cola will also be running competitions where
the public can win Coca-Cola prizes
“Copa
Coca-Cola is about identifying talent and we also use this platform to
encourage the youth to live active and healthy lifestyles, part of our ‘Live
for a Difference’ strategy,” said Craig Van Niekerk, Coca-Cola South Africa
Marketing Asset Manager. “Coca-Cola
South Africa has been sponsoring local development football for many years and
we are proud of the players that have gone on to become professionals, include
Steven Pienaar who competed back in 1999.”
Players identified in previous years who have gone on
to make successful careers for themselves include Mandla Masango of Kaiser
Chiefs, Happy Jele currently with
Orlando Pirates, Thabang Matuka of Vasco da Gama and Andile Jali with Orlando
Pirates and Bafana Bafana.
Participating teams:
Participating teams:
PROVINCE
|
REGIONS
|
TEAM
|
Eastern
Cape
|
Amathole
Region
|
Ketane
Junior Secondary School
|
Free
State
|
Thabo
Mofutsanyana Region
|
Bodikela
Junior Secondary School
|
Gauteng
|
Johannesburg
North
|
Johannesburg
Secondary School
|
KwaZulu
- Natal
|
Umkhanyakude
Region
|
Masibonisane
High School
|
Limpopo
|
Capricorn
Region
|
Lwamondo
High School
|
Mpumalanga
|
Bohlabela
Region
|
Lehlasedi
High School
|
