The
2014 school year has begun, which means planning for the busy year ahead is
underway. High on the agenda of thousands of schools around the country is
getting their entries into the biggest schools football tournament in the
country, the under-19 Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools, in on time.Schools will be eyeing for the R3.4 million on offer in prize money as well as getting their key players the exposure to scouts to help take their soccer careers to the next level.
Registration
is open and there are many benefits to schools entering. In the initial stages
the competition provides the opportunity to play well-organised competitive
football against the schools in regions and, for those who progress further,
there is the chance of winning financial support for projects in their schools
and communities.
For
individual players with exceptional talent, there is the opportunity to take
their soccer career to the next level.
The
success stories of 2013 highlight the fact that the competition places a
premium on the educational side of schooling. This is illustrated by Mamelodi
Sundowns’ policy applying to their development programme. No student in their
development structure can progress into the first team unless they pass Grade
12.
So,
for example, Percy Tau, the leading goal-scorer at the 2013 Sanlam Kay Motsepe
Schools Cup National Finals, who was originally from Phakama Combined School in
Witbank Mpumalanga and passed Grade 12 at Clapham High School, is now with the
Sundowns first team.
Mamelodi
Sundowns ran a training camp in December last year to which talented players
identified at the 2013 Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup national finals were
identified. One player was Lugiano Knopp from Okiep in the Northern Cape who
has now passed Grade 12 and will join the Sundowns second division team and
will enter the Elite Player program which enables the youth players to train
with the senior team on a regular basis.
Kabelo Mabasa (Harmony), Jason Skipper
(Cloetesville) and Tani Mpusana (Louis Botha) – have been offered contracts to
join the Sundowns development academy. They will all go to Clapham High School
to complete Grade 12 and will play in the Sundowns under-19 team in the 2nd
division.
Reginald
Tsoela (Harmony) was impressive at the camp and will join the club’s SAFA 2nd
Division team and enter a FET college, along with Fumani Mathebula (Eric
Nxumalo), who passed matric and will enter tertiary education at a college.
There
are also a number of players who came very close to be selected and who will be
monitored over the next 6 months. They
are: Gian De Jongh (Okiep), Elton Kapinga (Benny Sports) and Sive Klauhse
(Executive Academy).
