Charity Showdown unveiled

The vacuum left by the demise of the popular Telkom Charity Cup five seasons ago has opened the way for the Charity Showdown football tournament.

E-tv, in association with OpenView HD has unveiled the inaugural 2014 Charity Showdown, a soccer-filled day with spectacular family entertainment to be hosted at Bidvest Wits Stadium on 19 July.

The pre-season tournament will feature four Premier Soccer League teams, Bloemfontein Celtic, Mpumalanga Black Aces, Bidvest Wits and AmaZulu. The teams chosen from different provinces will go at loggerheads for the chance to be crowned the first inaugural Charity Showdown Champions, with the first semi-final scheduled for 9am, followed by the second at 12pm and the final at 4pm.

A brand new trophy and grand prize awaits the first champions of the tournament. Proceeds from gate takings and partial winnings of the grand prize will be donated to The Lunchbox Fund, a nationwide charity that feeds impoverished schoolchildren.

“This is in the spirit of Nelson Mandela who encouraged us to be part of various humanitarian causes,” said group head of e.tv Channels Division, Monde Twala at the Sandton launch.

“Soccer is one of the most popular sports in this country, and education is one of the most critical childhood development tools. The combination of the chosen charity, which gives young people the opportunity to fully partake in their education, and the solidarity of sportsmanship makes for a formidable

partnership in shaping the future for many young South Africans.”

The day will also be packed with family activities. These will include a family fun zone complete with a food market, a kiddies area with child minders, jumping castles, face painters and clowns. There will also be a beer garden as well as a Showdown Concert featuring some of South Africa’s top selling bands.

The Lunchbox Fund currently provides a daily meal to 5 000 orphaned and impoverished schoolchildren in rural and township areas. They work across the education sector in Gauteng, Limpopo, North West Province, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and are in the process of expanding to others provinces as well.