Castle
Lager has been embarking upon a nationwide talent identification search since
September, in partnership with the South African Football Association (SAFA)
and SABC Sport with the aim of unearthing tomorrow’s superstars.
Castle
is using the SAB League, the fourth tier of football and largest development
league in South Africa, as the hunting ground for tomorrows Superstars with
over 27 000 players participating in the league across 53 regions, … Castle
Lager is a proud sponsor of Bafana Bafana for over 20 years now and this new
partnership is aiming to create the Bafana Bafana stars of the future by going
in search of undiscovered footballers who currently participate in the SAB
League.
Nine
respected football coaches were handpicked and underwent a scouting workshop
hosted by Dutch FIFA instructor Roger Schouwenaar and Jomo Sono, with the
intention of equipping them with additional skills, tips and advice they can
implement during the scouting process. These nine coaches are based in each
province in South Africa and are tasked with finding the best of the best.
The
scouting team will report back to the Ambassadors of the programme. These
ambassadors are former Bafana Bafana internationals Neil Tovey, John “Shoes”
Moshoeu and Philemon Masinga who all tasted success during the 1996 African Cup
of Nations and who are all recognized as Bafana Bafana Legends. They will form
part of the scouting network utilizing their combined experience to ensure that
the right players are selected and given this amazing shot at stardom. Out of
the 27 000 registered players who ply their trade in the SAB League, the
scouting team are looking to find just sixteen players. These sixteen
footballers will be known as the Castle Lager Superstars XI.
The
first phase of the scouting process started in September 2012 and the campaign
is currently in full swing as the coaches begin the task of whittling an
enormous field of footballers down into a single squad.
The
next phase of the scouting process starts this weekend with the provincial
playoffs. Each regional winner plays in the provincial play-offs, determining
the provincial champions. The provincial champions then go onto represent the
SAB league in the Nedbank Cup.
In
addition to the scouting team that will be on the ground and the Ambassadors
who will lend a hand to proceedings Amisco Sports Analysis Services have also
been approached to provide detailed breakdown and analysis of every player who
will participate in the playoffs. This is a world-class service where every aspect
of performance can be monitored and broken down into data that can assist the
scouting team with their selection.
Once
the sixteen players have been selected, they will embark on two intensive
training camps at the High Performance Centres in both Stellenbosch and
Pretoria in January 2013. Here they will be coached and mentored by ex-Bafana
captain Neil Tovey and be exposed to camp life at a professional level.
The
process will culminate in a series of trial matches where the Castle Lager
Superstars XI will be watched by scouts and coaches from the Premier Soccer
League and the National First Division in the hope of impressing and landing a
professional contract and possibly going on to make a name for themselves at
the highest level in the game. Watch out for our next Bafana Bafana Superstar…
and he may very well come from the Castle Lager Superstars XI and SAB League.
