Local soccer fundis and diski dominators brought their A game to Lambert Park on May 19.
The Shield Sbonis’ Idiski team made a stop in Estcourt to scout out soccer talent for their 2019 Football Development Programme.
50 lads aged between 18 and 23 registered that morning to participate in a trial game at Lambert Park. The heated game was observed by soccer stars like Seth Moloi and Benedict Vilakazi.
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The programme helps budding footballers reach their dreams through the Sbonis’ Idiski campaign. This campaign visits large cities and the reason why the team managed to pop into Estcourt was through talks from Colita Royal Hearts Club coach Fabian Meyers. This got the full support from Shield and that’s how it was all made possible.
“I have already seen talent displayed here. I have my eye set on 11 boys so far. We visit 10 regions, scouting dedication and talent. All the boys we have chosen across the country will play off at trials, where we will select a top 25 to make it to finals week at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria in July. From there, the legends of the game will get the opportunity to shine,” explained Shield scout and Sbonis’ Idiski head coach Dumisani ‘Dumi’ Thusi.
No stranger to superb soccer talent, Coach Dumi added that, “Big names like Allen Freez and Phumlani Mkhize come from Estcourt, so I feel that this town should get the opportunity to shine. We see how the boys are expressing themselves on the field and I feel that one of the top three will be from Estcourt. We will be empowering young boys and girls who show talent, through development and skills training.”
The boys put their best foot forward and played a very competitive game at the community coaching clinic.
“I am very impressed; I’m over the moon. God is coming through in a big way for Estcourt. The coaches are hoping to return to Estcourt soon,” explained Coach Meyers with immense excitement.
15 local soccer players who have been selected will be announced before June 8 in order to make their way to Durban, where another trial game will be held; this time against scouts selected from across the country.
The ultimate winner will be signed for a year and compensated.
Benedict Bongani Vilakazi, a former Orlando Pirates player who got to play in Denmark with Shield Sbonis’ Idiski, spoke of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“It is an honour to spend time with the boys and a great way to give back, so thank you to Shield. Winning this coaching clinic, you get the platform to showcase yourself; it is amazing. It is rare that we get to visit small towns like this, but this is where we find the diamonds in the rough,” he shared.
All the participants are anticipating the results of the coaching clinic with fingers crossed.
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