Intense training was the order of the day on March 20 for Sandringham’s Balderstone Sports Institute (BSI) football players, who were training for their upcoming Gauteng Development Promotional League (GDPL).
David Thorpe, head of football at the BSI Football Academy, said the players have never played in the league, so he was extremely excited.
“The Gauteng Promotional League is one of the highest youth development leagues in the country, so it’s a great league to try and get our boys exposed to and help them reach their dreams and aspirations of becoming professional footballers.”

Thorpe added that for the rest of the season, the team looked forward to getting to know how the league operates.
@caxtonjoburgnorth Sandringham’s Balderstone Sports Institute players practice their finishing and scoring. Video: Asanda Matlhare #caxtonlocalmedia #Localnews #johannesburg #2026 #SA #Communitynews #Sportsnews #supportlocalsports #Diski ♬ original sound Caxton Joburg North
“What the team needs to strengthen in moving forward, and where the competition is, to see if the players can match the competition level.”

The teams that will be playing in tomorrow’s games are U14, U15, U17 and U19.
Thorpe encourages players to join the academy, “The club programme is still taking applications if people want to come and be assessed. We are especially looking for U14 players.”
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