Gauteng Wraps Up Nedbank Ke Yona Team Search

THE first phase of the Nedbank Ke Yona Team Search concluded in exciting two day trials at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday May 24 and Sunday May 25. Nedbank’s search for the country’s next football heroes got underway on April 21 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium and has since travelled across Polokwane, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Western Cape and culminated in Gauteng.

With only 18 spots available in the 2014 Nedbank Ke Yona Team, it was Gauteng’s turn to make use of the once in a life-time opportunity presented by Nedbank to make football dreams happen. Both days drew scores of men between the ages of 18 and 35 to the Orlando Stadium in a bid to break into the Nedbank Ke Yona Team, with both days attracting more than 500 Ke Yona hopefuls that braved the cold weather conditions from the early hours of Saturday and Sunday morning.

Former Platinum Stars and Orlando Pirates head coach, Owen da Gama was in awe at the exceptional flair and determination witnessed at the Orlando Stadium.

“The past two days have just been a pure display of the unbelievable talent we have in this country and we believe that it is through platforms such as these that we can be able to tap into such raw and exciting talent. We have travelled across five South African provinces and we are confident that we will assemble a formidable 2014 Nedbank Ke Yona Team that will give current Nedbank Cup Champions, Orlando Pirates a serious run for their money,” said Da Gama.

Nedbank Ke Yona trials will now move to the next exciting phase where a total of 48 players selected from across the country will be sent to a challenging boot camp that will see the boys being trimmed down to the final 18-man squad that will take on the 2014 Nedbank Cup Champions, Orlando Pirates.