According to Gezani Mashaba, the head of youth development at the Greater Giyani Local Football Association, the tournament was aimed at motivating young players who were not yet registered with the South African Football Association (SAFA) to do so knowing that there were other players in their age groups that were already registered with SAFA.
“This is actually a recruitment of some sort because we need these boys to start playing football at a young age so that they would grow up mastering the game and be able to join u.15 at a later stage, and consequently move to other levels in the SAFA leagues as they grow up,” he said. Mashaba urged other small teams to register their players in SAFA’s leagues so that more players could be produced at young age. “The more young teams we have in the SAFA database, the better the chance of producing players that might not only play in the local leagues but be able to play in some of the best teams overseas,” Mashaba explained.
Also read: Team Daniel brings the People’s Cup home
The winning team at the tournament, Ndimahlo FC, was awarded a trophy and medals sponsored by BP Fuel Station, while the second runner-up, Ngula FC, was awarded medals only. Dyondzo Mashale of Scorpions FC, also known as the general among his peers, won the Player of the Tournament award. The goalkeeper of the tournament award went to Dzunpat Rikhotso from Ngula FC. Despite his small frame, his goalkeeping skills proved to be superior throughout the tournament.
Asked how he felt after his team won the one-day tournament, Odi Tshabalala, the coach for Ndimahlo Academy, said he was delighted that his team made it despite difficulties along the way. “We feel very excited, especially since it is the first time that these boys played in a SAFA league game. This is a motivation for them, and we hope that from here more things will happen for us,” he said.
