Soccer playoffs in Durban
KZN SAB league teams took to the soccer field in provincial playoffs recently.
THE KZN SAFA third-division teams went head to head in the provincial play-off stages of the SAB League (formerly Castle League and SAB U21 Regional League) at Tills Crescent, Overport in Durban, recently.
Blue Birds Football Club and Matimatolo United went to clash on the finals of the league, with Blue Birds being crowned this year’s SAB League winners. Both teams were automatically promoted to SAFA’s 2nd Division League. The finals of the SAB League Provincial Playoffs were played on Sunday, 15 June.
The SAB League is the largest SAFA football and development league in South Africa which aims to identify and nurture young sporting talent at grassroots level, offering the opportunity for them to move through the ranks of SA football. A total of 18 SAB League teams (two teams per province), out of the 1 305 competing in the league, will be promoted to the SAFA second division league.
“Development has long been a key element of SAB’s football sponsorship. At the heart of this commitment is the company’s 13 year-long investment in the country’s largest grassroots league playing host to over 30 000 players. The SAB League aims to continue playing a critical role in developing SA’s future football stars and the sport at grassroots level,” said SAB’s National Corporate Social Investment Specialist, Sylvester Ndaba.
The 2013 SAB League season will culminate in the national championships to be held in Mafikeng, North West, next month. The best players from each of the nine provinces will be selected to form representative squads, along with the team from the University Sports South Africa.
The national championships will be held on 14 to 20 July, with a youth diversion programme intended to empower the youth with off-the-pitch skills, as well as encouraging them to have a continued positive outlook to the future. Important life skills including how to look after your personal finances, learner’s license test preparations, information on HIV/Aids, their role in curbing crime in their communities as well as being men that can be looked up to in society will be shared at the workshop.
Representatives from NGO Footballers4Life will also be sharing leadership skills training.
“SAB is passionate about serving communities and the youth that are the building blocks of those communities. We are unique position of being able to use football players to drive responsible messaging amongst their peers and in their communities, thereby helping to fight alcohol abuse in the hearts and minds of this most vulnerable,” said Ndaba.
