50th anniversary soccer tournament a huge success

The organiser of the Benoni Northerns Football Club (BNFC) 50th-anniversary tournament, Justin dos Santos, said the event heralded a new era for the club.

After years of not hosting a football tournament, over 900 players in various age groups from 71 clubs heeded the club’s call and created a mini world cup on the Northerns’ fields as they competed for top prizes on March 9 and 10.

“The BNFC is back on the map for hosting tournaments. Not only are we the biggest juniors club in Ekurhuleni, we have now hosted the football tournament after all these years,” said Dos Santos.

Dos Santos, owner of Juzz Sports and Events, said they have set a bench for how tournaments should be hosted, adding he will be organising more in the future.

He hailed the tournament as a success and praised all the players, parents and supporters for attending the event, adding that around 6 000 were in attendance over the two days.

“Praise to the parents and all clubs. They created a festive vibe and competitiveness on the field was top notch. Everything we wanted happened accordingly. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the players after receiving their accolades, it was all I envisioned and wanted,” he said.

Champions

The tournament featured many of the club’s current and former players.

Founder, Manny Ferreirinho, joined in on the celebrations, donning the referees’ gear to officiate in some of the matches. He started the club in 1975 and has played an integral part since then.

The players left nothing to chance on the field as they tussled for the ultimate prize.

Edenvale A walked away with the U7 title and Benoni Northerns won the U8 trophy.

DBK won the U9 division title and Global Soccer School Institute were crowned the U10 champions.

On day two, March 10, the ante was upped as Highlands Park landed both the U11 and U12 titles while Titans won the U13 trophy.

Brakpan Spurs won the U15 championship.

“Congratulations to all the winners. I’m super proud of everybody, more especially the committee at Northerns for putting up with my demands. We had hiccups along the way but we fought through.

“We made a statement, not only in our community but to all the people who came from afar to watch. It’s what sport does. It unites people. Thank you to all our sponsors for supporting our vision,” Ferreirinho said.

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