FNB marks 5 years of unearthing football talent
JOBURG – First National Bank marks five years of unearthing talented footballers.
First National Bank (FNB) marked five years of unearthing, developing and nurturing young gifted U13 and U15 boys’ and girls’ footballers.
Through its FNB Football First Programme, founded as a legacy project following the bank’s involvement in the 2010 Fifa World Cup, the programme has attracted more than 29 000 young football players from 39 schools across five regions – Thohoyandou, George, Mthatha, Pietermaritzburg and Kimberley.
The young aspiring football enthusiasts are trained on artificial pitches specially developed for the programme which involves 660 coaching clinics that run for 44 weeks, with each region completing an average of 132 sessions a year.
The youngsters are trained by coaches selected in collaboration with South African Football Association (Safa) and they undergo annual refresher courses to maintain and develop their skills.
Speaking at the FNB Stadium to mark the celebration, Faye Mfikwe, chief marketing officer at the bank, commended the programme for the significant contribution it had made in opening up opportunities for talented young boys and girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.
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“Programmes of this nature and calibre not only uplift communities but have the potential to help South Africa produce the next generation of talented footballers to beef up the ranks of the Premier Soccer League clubs and ultimately Bafana Bafana,” said Mfikwe.
She added that more than 30 talented youngsters who have come through the ranks of the programme have been scouted by prominent clubs and some of them were now playing in National First Division (NFD) teams.
She singled out talented Thabelo Mulaudzi, a product of the programme, who spent four years in the SuperSport Academy and has since moved after graduating to play for the NFD side Black Leopards.
Each year, the programme selects the best players from regional tournaments to represent their region during an annual festival held in Johannesburg, where scouts get the opportunity to identify talented players.
The 2016 winners of the annual FNB Football First festival are Pietermaritzburg boys and Mthatha girls.
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