The
provincial finals of the U-19 biggest football tournament in Africa, the Sanlam
Kay Motsepe Schools Cup, gets underway on 20 July with Mpumalanga being the
first host province.
Both the winners and runners-up will go through to the national finals in Durban in September and stand a chance of winning R1 million to be used to fund projects that will make a difference to the learners of the school and the community at large.
Both the winners and runners-up will go through to the national finals in Durban in September and stand a chance of winning R1 million to be used to fund projects that will make a difference to the learners of the school and the community at large.
The
Tournament is run under the auspices of the South African Schools Association
(SASFA). "This is the most exciting period of the tournament where the
best teams in the nine provinces fight for a position in the final of this
prestigious tournament. We are hoping that PSL teams and SAFA Junior national
team's coaches will come to scout players,” said Steve Pila, SASFA General
Secretary.
In
the past 3 years R10.2 million has gone to schools to fund legacy projects via
the tournament and that figure is set to rise over the next few months as the
provincial champions each get R100 000 and the top four sides at the national
finals get R1million, R600 00, R500 000 and R400 00, respectively. Projects
that schools have spent their winnings on include boreholes, combi’s, upgrading
of classrooms/Soccer fields, purchase desks, computers, soccer kit , fencing
off the school and much more.
The
defending champions are Gauteng’s School of Excellence who have completed their
cluster games and are about to embark on the regional playoff stage of the
competition.
Tournament
Sponsors, Sanlam, believe that the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup creates
opportunities that have a positive impact on the youth and also provides
exposure to scouts for those players who have the talent to go further in the
game. “This sponsorship has many objectives, one of which is to give back to
the community and reward excellence by offering substantial prize money.
We
also want to encourage as many footballers as possible between the ages of 15
and 19 to compete and possibly to be seen by soccer scouts. Players who stand
out will then be recruited into development structures to be nurtured and
shaped into professional footballers,” said Frank Louw, Sanlam’s Sponsorships
Manager.
The
tournament also contributes to enhanced learning through improved educational
facilities for the benefit of the rest of pupils in the winning schools and the
broader communities around them.
The
Dates and Venues of the provincial finals are:
20
July – Mpumalanga, Thulamahashe Stadium, Bushbuckridge
27
July - Northern Cape, Paballelo Stadium, Upington
3-August
- North West, Thlakgameng Stadium, Ganyesa
August-10-
Limpopo, Nkowankowa Stadium, Tzaneen
August-13
- Gauteng, Muckleuneck Stadium, Mamelodi
August
24 - Eastern Cape, Dumpsey Adams Stadium, Queenstown
August
31 –KwaZulu-Natal, SAI Military, Ladysmith
September
7 - Free State, Mangaung Outdoor Sports Centre, Bloemfontein
September
14 - Western Cape, Bhongolethu Stadium, Oudtshoorn
September
24 to 28 - National Playoffs, King Zwelithini Stadium
