Gathering tomorrow’s Bafana Bafana

More than 40 soccer hopefuls assembled at the Easy Hotel in Braamfontein, Johannesburg on 16 January for the third edition of the Castle Lager Football Academy campaign.

The football campaign formerly known as Finding tomorrow’s Bafana together, aims to discover young talented players with the potential to be fast-tracked and signed by Premier Soccer League and National First Division (NFD) clubs, with a prospect of one day representing Bafana Bafana.

Footballers such as Deolin Mekoa of Maritzburg United, Siphiwe Mtsweni of Kaizer Chiefs, Chase Parsons of SuperSport United and Rafique de Goede of NFD side Vasco da Gama, were all discovered in the previous two campaigns.

In November last year, after months of intense scouting in the SAB regional league and the Varsity football tournament, the academy scouts led by Bafana Bafana legends, Neil Tovey and Phil Masinga, named 45 players who will attend the camp.

The aspirants will be based in Johannesburg for the duration of the camp while holding their training sessions at the Balfour Alexandra Football Club Training grounds at Balfour Park.

They were taken through an intense three days of trials by Tovey and Masinga with the hope of making the cut of 23 players who will be selected to continue with the camp until the 2 February.

Those who make the cut will then play friendly matches against Premier league and NFD teams, with the hope of catching the eye of coaches and scouts from the two leagues. The camp will not only provide an opportunity for teams from the two leagues to identify players during the January transfer window, but will also provide the U23 national team coaches with a chance to scout for players as they prepare for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“The camp is about getting them to understand what it takes to be a professional player, doing all the training and gym work as they come from an amateur league,” said Tovey.

Details: Errol Madlala on 082 921 7434 Errol.Madlala@za.sabmiller.com