Development soccer gets a boost
MultiChoice Diski Challenge includes a football competition for the Premier Soccer League (PSL) academy clubs; life skills and leadership development for players.
JOHANNESBURG – Multichoice announced on Tuesday August 12 its new multi-pronged Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programme aimed at supporting development in football and broadcasting.
The programme, called the MultiChoice Diski Challenge, includes a football competition for the Premier Soccer League (PSL) academy clubs; life skills and leadership development for players; an internship programme to develop broadcasting skills amongst the youth; scholarships for players and production interns; as well as a chance for community television channels on DStv to broadcast the MultiChoice Diski Challenge matches.
“We want to make a real and lasting difference in South Africa,” said Imtiaz Patel, Group CEO for MultiChoice South Africa.
“The MultiChoice Diski Challenge will expose young players to a range of development opportunities on and off the field, and will also give young production interns the necessary exposure and skills to succeed in the broadcasting industry. MultiChoice is extremely proud of this programme, which is all about creating opportunities for the next generation of young South Africans,” Patel said.
The programme is a three-year partnership with the PSL, with the focus on building the PSL’s Reserve League. In line with the PSL’s Club Licensing Programme, the primary emphasis will be on fast-tracking the club’s u.19 talent into their first teams, with clubs limited to include a maximum of three players above the age of 20 in their reserve league teams. The competition includes a round-robin league format and knockout phase for the 16 PSL teams, and will also equip players for life after football through life, leadership development skills and exposure to careers in broadcasting by attending a one week career conference at the MultiChoice campus.
Dr Irvin Khoza, Chairman of the PSL said the MultiChoice Diski Challenge addresses the need for PSL clubs to develop homegrown talent which will facilitate progression from academy football to the professional ranks.
“The comprehensive nature of the programme that we’re running with MultiChoice means that we will produce more well-rounded and better equipped players – for life on and off the field. The competitive nature of the Premier League is such that young players quite often struggle to make the transition into the senior sides. We believe that this programme can be the game changer in facilitating the talent development pathway for up and coming players,” Khoza said.
The MultiChoice Diski Challenge tournament will kick off with a festival weekend in KwaZulu Natal in September and runs till March 2015. The winning team will receive a magnificent floating trophy and a life changing trip to Holland for a four-day training camp with the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) and their top youth coaches, as well as a match against a top Dutch team. The team will also play two friendly games in Germany, home of the FIFA World Cup Champions, against two top Bundesliga teams.
The first festival weekend of the MultiChoice Diski Challenge will be played in KwaZulu Natal on Saturday September 13, followed by a life skills workshop for players on Sunday September 14 before moving on to Cape Town, Johannesburg and Bloemfontein in the weeks ahead.
