Volkswagen developing future soccer stars

The bi-annual tournament will see soccer teams representing different Volkswagen dealerships compete on a national level in Johannesburg from 5 to 7 December. Volkswagen Market Square based in Uitenhage selected their representing team through a soccer tournament hosted at the PeoplePavillion, which saw 24 teams compete for the chance to participate in the national VW Junior Masters tournament later this year.

Both Young Tigers and City Style teams, from KwaNobuhle, battled it out in the final game of the tournament. The Young Tigers took a close victory with the final score being 2-1. Continuing on to additional trails are 22 boys under the age of 12 which were selected from different teams based on individual performance. Volkswagen Market Square will be represented by 14 players which performed the best in the trails and will receive further training and development.

“The quality of the players was amazing and the scouts had a huge task identifying the players for the preliminary team. We chose this approach to give everyone a fair opportunity to be a part of the team, instead of simply choosing any team from a soccer club,” Martin Barnard, VW Market Square Dealer-Principal

Competing in the VW Junior Masters tournament will earn the winning team a spot in the international Gothia Cup in Sweden next year.

“This tournament is aligned to VWSA’s commitment to promoting youth development, it offers our local youth a platform where they can showcase their talents and gain national exposure. We are also proud to have hosted this important event at our PeoplePavilion, which is a state of the art multipurpose centre built for the benefit of our employees and the community. This is a prime example of what the centre can offer the community,” Andile Dlamini, Volkswagen Group South Africa’s Head of Group Communications.