SANDTON – The fifth edition of the Metropolitan SASFA u.16 Cup will kick-off in December.
On Wednesday November 6 the national play-off draw took place to determine what teams will be playing against each other. This year’s event will take place in Polokwane from December 4 to 7.
The tournament has gone from strength to strength and is an integral point for development of soccer. This is also the field where many future players are identified.
Last year’s champions, Rosina Sedibane from Gauteng, qualified to represent Mzansi at the biennial International School Sports Federation world championships in France, where they held their own against some of the world’s top schools. Eleven graduates of the Metropolitan SASFA u-16 Cup have already made Premier Soccer League, with the likes of Lerato Manzini turning out for Bloemfontein Celtic and Thabo Moloi donning the colours of Supersport United.
SASFA president, Mandla ‘Shoes’ Mazibuko expressed his appreciation for Metropolitan’s shared vision for investing in grassroots projects. “As one of the cornerstones of development in South Africa, a healthy level of schools football is imperative to any potential success so it is important to create the best possible conditions to realise our objectives. It is through the vision of partners such as Metropolitan, whose investment in the early stages of a long term process enables us to reap the rewards on a sustainable basis for generations to come.”
Metropolitan Brand Manager, Belinda Faulkner said,“Football has a tremendous ability to develop and unite people and has also shown itself to be a fantastic medium through which young people can learn the values of discipline, teamwork and good health, all while having fun. However, at Metropolitan, we have always believed that football development cannot be effected in isolation and, to tie in with our holistic approach, we have devised a Life Skills programme that forms a key component of all Metropolitan-sponsored events aimed at equipping the youngsters to handle some of the challenges they may face on their way to becoming the superstars of tomorrow.”
This year also sees the introduction of a glittering new trophy after Rosina Sedibane’s third consecutive triumph in 2012 entitled them to keep the previous one permanently.
The schools participating in this year’s tournament are: Beaufort West, Sun Valley (Western Cape), Benny’s Care, Matsambu High (Limpopo), Buthathubunye High, Emthonjeniwolwazi High (KZN), Gatelapele, Tiger Kloof (North West), HTS Louis Botha, NTSU High (Free State), Kakamas, Gamohana High (Northern Cape), School of Excellence Johannesburg, Johannesburg Secondary (Gauteng), Zamokuhle JSS, Charles Morgan (Eastern Cape) and Tikhontele High, Zendeling (Mpumalanga).
