16
teams representing the north and south regions of the city converged on the
Gauteng Provincial Legislature housed at Johannesburg’s City Hall, to compete
in the Nike 'FC247 Own The Street’ five-a-side football tournament on Saturday.
The
five-a-side tournament kicked off with regional playoffs during May, where the
iconic communities of Soweto and Alexandra battled it out for the honour of
local pride, in the hopes of claiming the ultimate bragging rights of 'Owning
the Street'. Only eight teams from each region progressed to the final on
Saturday.
Situated
on the doorstep of one of the oldest buildings in the city, the final was an
action-packed event complete with some of the finest footwork and skills on
display. Adapted to the local version of five-a-side football called one pal,
the young footballers all featured in a round-robin first round, playing to
qualify for the top eight made up of six teams representing Soweto and two from
Alexandra.
The
Soweto teams continued to dominate into the play-offs with Movers FC and River
Park FC winning a spot in the final. Both teams were kitted with the new Nike
Bomba Finale II and Nike Lunar Gato II boots enabling them to amplify their
skills on the uneven surface.
Just
before they took to the streets one last time they were treated to a special
appearance from Nike's The Chance 2011 winner, Reyaad Pieterse, who recently
signed with Kaizer Chiefs. Pieterse
offered both teams words of advice and encouragement, acknowledging that street
football is where many young stars first developed their skills.
"Today
I am a professional goal keeper but it all started on the streets and courts
when I was younger and just kicking the ball around. From the streets of Jozi
to winning Nike's The Chance trial event, joining the Nike Academy in the UK,
playing for Shamrock Rovers in Ireland and to return home to sign for the
biggest club in our country took a lot of hard work, discipline and commitment.
I've seen some great skill on display today, and I encourage you to keep
working hard, and you too could be living this dream," said Pieterse.
The
final kicked off with both teams rushing for control of the ball. It was a
high-energy and fast paced game resulting in a draw at the final blow of the
whistle. The teams stepped up to take
the penalty shots and it was Movers who scored on point to claim the overall
top spot.
Movers
FC team captain Prince Kok was overjoyed to receive the winner's prize of
R15,000.00 on behalf of his team.
Said
Kok: "FC247 is an amazing tournament and playing here in the city where
there is so much energy has been great.
The competition has been good and this format to have us competing makes
us feel like we are pros."
Ntsako
Chauke from River Park FC was voted MVP and was handed a cash prize of
R2,000.00 from Pieterse, who was joined by The Chance players Jonathan King,
Khaya Nzimande, Nicholas Mynhardt, Charlie Tsotetsi and Melusi Zulu to scan
every game in search for the player of the tournament.
