The tournament, a cornerstone of youth sports development in South Africa, brings together the best school football talent of the Nation in a huge participation program that culminates in the national championships in October.
Sello Nduna, the acting deputy main education specialist of the Free State Department of Education, and a member of the SAFA Local Organizing Committee, emphasized the broader impact of the tournament.
He emphasized how the championship is in line with the general vision of the Motsepe Foundation for the development of young people and empowerment of the community. “The Kay Motsepe Cup brings a lot of excitement within the schools,” Nduna said, and added that it is a mass party program that starts at Grassroots -level and progresses through districts, municipalities and provinces.
Apart from the production of professional football players, the greatest success story of the Kay Motsepe Schools Championship is the hope that it offers young players. Photo supplied
Looking ahead to the National Championships in Gauteng on October 6-11, NDuna expressed high expectations of the Free State teams. “We are looking forward to these national championships, but our first stage will clearly be the provincials, the Free State Provincial Games, which will be held tomorrow (23/8),” he said.
The prize money at the provincial level is amazing, with the U-19-winning school receiving a remarkable R150,000, and the U-13 champions will receive R100,000. The prize money for the Nationals is R3 million and R1 million. “It will certainly go a long way in helping different schools of different provinces,” said Nduna.
Apart from the production of professional football players, the greatest success story of the De Hoop Championship is that it offers young players. The tournament has a proven track record to help students secure trade fairs and fairs to tertiary institutions.
NDUNA mentioned local success stories and mentioned players such as Tshegofatso Mabasa of Orlando Pirates and others who have come through the ranks of the championship. “We have a good story to tell about the success of most players.”
A close cooperation between the Ministry of Primary Education and various stakeholders has also contributed to the success of the event. “We work very closely with our different districts … to ensure that these children are well protected,” he said.
The cooperation with the Department of Basic Education ensures that the academic performance of students is not neglected. “There are scientific evidence that students participate in sports activities … have a tendency to reach more academic,” said Nduna.
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