DESPITE soccer being a staple in the South African diet, grassroots level development is often neglected. Hundreds of soccer hopefuls descended on UKZN Howard College on Saturday, all eyeing that opportunity of a lifetime, to train with English Premiership Champions Chelsea in London.
After being put through a few paces, it became evident that many of those who came for the trials, lacked soccer basics. The Durban trial was one of the five regional trials which saw five players selected to represent the province. The players will join other hopefuls selected from other provinces and will be going head-to-head in a week-long national trial, resulting in one lucky player jetting off to London.
“We started with the basics, which helps our selection process. It is one of the most neglected areas, especially with players from the townships. What has been very concerning is that most of the players that came here today lack the first touch and concentration. There have been a couple of players who we are impressed with. Such competitions are very helpful, because soccer scouts are a rarity in these parts of the country. Even the ones who were not selected, will take with them some knowledge,” said the coaches in unison.
Trialist, Lutho Mhlakaza said he hoped to impress the coaches and even if he didn’t get a chance to go to England, he was still grateful for the opportunity. “The opportunity to be trained by the likes of Siphiwe Mkhonza, has given me the confidence and I just want to go to nationals, hopefully I can be spotted by one of the professional teams,” said Mhlakaza.
Meanwhile, Gareth Marshall, Senior Brand Manager of Shield South Africa said: “The Durban trials were intense and competition was high. We witnessed some truly excellent talent on the field today. The thing that I found most inspiring was the passion for the sport. Nearly everyone in South Africa loves soccer, but the players we met today are truly committed.”
Former Bafana Bafana player and coach of the Shield Sbonis’ iDiski competition, Siphiwe Mkhonza said: “I was really impressed with the talent from Durban. The players in Johannesburg will need to work hard to prepare for their trials to compete with these guys,” he said, adding that he was looking forward to selecting the best 25 players from across SA and seeing them give it everything to get to Chelsea.
Known as The Blues, Chelsea F.C. is considered one of the most successful soccer clubs in the world, representing athletes at the top of their game. Players like Eden Hazard, Victor Moses and Cesc Fabregas are the embodiment of hard work, commitment and absolute dedication. The team is the perfect partner for Shield to launch this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to find SA’s best aspiring soccer star and give them a chance to train like a champion.
In addition to the winning player, one lucky superfan will win a Chelsea F.C. dream trip to watch the first team training and meet the team at the Cobham Training Centre. The nationwide competition is open to all South Africans. To enter, just purchase any Shield product and send the last 4 digits of the barcode to USSD *120*SHIELD# for a chance to win.
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