Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital wins football tournament

Charles De Kock, coach of Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital soccer team, organised a Top 3 soccer tournament at E P Baumann Primary School in Mayfair on 7 June.

The participating teams were Aucklandpark’s Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital, Netcare Sunward Park and Netcare Sunninghill Hospital.

The first match kicked off between Netcare Rehab and Sunward Park.

Netcare Rehab scored the winning goal, beating Sunward Park 2 –1.

The second match was between Sunninghill and Sunward Park. Sunward Park had to win this match to reach the semi-final or final.

If they lost against Sunninghill, they would be automatically out of the tournament. The first half did not have a lot of energy as strikers were not up to speed on both teams.

The second half was played with more energy which resulted in Sunninghill taking the lead by two goals. Sunward Park came back strong and put pressure on their opponents by scoring an equaliser.

However, after a few minutes Sunninghill managed to find the back of the net by scoring the third goal.

It was now 3 –2 with 10 minutes remaining.

Sunninghill were also awarded a penalty, bringing the final score to 4 –2 which took them to the finals.

The final battle between Netcare Rehab and Sunninghill filled the atmosphere with excitement and anticipation because a trophy was up for grabs.

According to De Kock, who started coaching in 2010, watching the game was nerve wracking but he relaxed after his team had scored.

He also mentioned that Netcare Rehab was in full control of the entire match which resulted in them scoring the first two goals. Sunninghill did not accept defeat. They cut the lead to one goal and minutes later they toyed with Netcare Rehab and scored the second goal. Netcare Rehab were now frustrated and started playing to win. They managed to score two more goals, shattering Sunninghill’s hopes of winning. The game ended in 4 – 2 to Netcare Rehab.

Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital became champions of the tournament by lifting the trophy and each player received a medal.

De Kork was excited with the results and said: “I enjoy coaching very much, it gives me a sense of responsibility and I feel privileged. I am also grateful for the support we received,” he informed.