Castle
Lager today announced the “Finding Tomorrow ‘s Bafana Together” campaign which is aimed at unearthing
talented young footballers that ply their trade in the SAB Regional League
around the country. This is a
continuation of the 2012 Castle Lager Superstars XI campaign.
The
2012 campaign proved to be a highly successful as several players shone during
training matches against opponents that play in the Premier Soccer League and
National First Division respectively. Matches against teams such as Vasco Da
Gama, Ajax Cape Town, University of Pretoria, SuperSport United and Jomo Cosmos
provided many scouts in these divisions with an opportunity to snatch the new
talent that was being exposed through the campaign. One such talent is new
Kaizer Chiefs signing Siphiwe Mtsweni from Secunda who attended a trial with
the club and was promptly offered a first-team contract commencing at the
beginning of the 2013/2014 season.
The
“Finding Tomorrow’s Bafana Together” campaign will see former Bafana Bafana
captain Neil Tovey, Philemon Masinga and a dedicated team of nine respected
scouts spend the next few months identifying the best undiscovered talent in
all nine provinces in South Africa. The campaign will kick-off simultaneously
with the SAB Regional League in August 2013.
Tovey,
who will once again oversee the selection process of the squad, is confident
that his scouts will unearth even more talent this time around. “The first year
was very positive and the proof lies in the fact that one of the players that was
part of our squad in January this year has joined Kaizer Chiefs,” he said.
“We’ve planned meticulously for this next phase in the campaign and we have a
clear idea of what type of players we’re looking for and what will be required
to mould the players into a cohesive unit that will ultimately showcase their
ability when they play to earn a chance of a contract.”
At
the culmination of the scouting process, 23 players will be chosen from the SAB
Regional League. In January 2014 these players will gather in Johannesburg for
an intense training camp where the squad will once again look to catch the eye
of coaches and scouts from the Premier Soccer League and the National First
Division clubs in a series of friendly matches.
Alastair
Hewitt, General Manager: Castle Lager and Sports Sponsorships was equally
excited about the campaign and is looking forward to seeing new players emerge
on the local scene. “We’re immensely proud that Castle Lager is providing a
platform for players who show enormous potential to secure a chance to further
their dreams and enhance their lives. We have termed this year’s campaign
‘Finding Tomorrow’s Bafana Together’ to showcase our commitment and passion to
South African football and hope that the players identified through the programme
will one day represent our Senior
National Football Team, Bafana Bafana,” Hewitt concluded.
In
addition throughout the months of August and September consumers have the
chance to nominate Wildcard entries who could stand a chance of also becoming
part of the final squad that is selected for camp in January 2014. Consumers
can nominate footballers who they believe have the ability and the
determination to forge a career as a professional footballer. These Wildcard
entries, should they meet the necessary criteria, will be whittled down to a
shortlist and the scouting team will go out and assess the players and decide
which 3 players will form part of the training camp.
It all comes together with a CASTLE.
It all comes together with a CASTLE.
