Fierce battle for finals

Spectators gathered under gazebos and umbrellas against the sun over the weekend at the Noza Annual Soccer Tournament to support their teams. The voice of the commentator echoed every time a team threatened to score adding to the atmosphere to find the best team to lift the Noza trophy at Ngove Leeds Sports Ground. The question about some spectators’ lips was why the tournament was staged on a dirt sports field instead of Giyani Stadium where the pitch is better for football games.

Also read: Khoza and Mali wins Marula Golf challenge

The organiser of the tournament, Rodrick Rikhotso said the venue is better for the promotion of sports at a grassroots level. “Most of us did not grow up playing football on gleaming pitches. We played and developed our dribbling skills on dusty pitches, so this has the potential to motivate young children to like sport,” he said. Despite being staged on the dusty sports ground, the tournament was able to attract a considerable local and visiting crowd. Hundreds of spectators gathered to watch their favourite teams play for a spot in the final.

As a former soccer player at the premier league level, Rikhotso, also known as Jay-Jay, understands the value of the exposure that a tournament like this brings to young players; hence he advocated for its establishment in 2021. “Our aim is to establish talent among the younger players as well as expose players to potential recruiters looking for talent for premier league teams,” Rikhotso explained. Rhikotso said that he aims to add women’s soccer to the tournament next year.