POLOKWANE – Cobus Loubser, the chief executive officer of Curro Schools, has described Northern Academy’s u/19 soccer team’s Kay Motsepe Cup feat as one of their greatest milestones in the school’s history.
Loubser was speaking at the trophy celebration ceremony held at the school on October 7.
Northern Academy’s u/19 boys team won the Kay Motsepe Schools Championship in Rustenburg in September with a 2-1 victory in the final and they took home a R3m cash prize and trophy.
Loubser said he is very proud of the Northern Academy team.
“These champions exemplify the spirit of dedication and excellence of Northern Academy and shows Curro’s commitment to invest in the potential of South Africa’s youth. The Motsepe Schools Championship is the biggest national schools football competition, bringing together both public and independent schools from around South Africa, and they competed for the right to be crowned champions of school’s football against 13 000 teams from more than 5 000 schools. This is a huge feat for us and one of the greatest achievements in the 25 years of the school’s history. We want to thank the players and the coach for their wonderful work. They are an inspiration to other learners at the school. We also want to thank the parents for supporting us.”
He said the tournament gave Northern Academy the opportunity to show off local brilliant talent.
“Limpopo is a province with exceptional talent, not just in soccer but in many other sporting codes too. Schools cannot always showcase their talent at a national level, but to have our teams come first and third in this competition shows that the talent is here. We can’t wait to see where the sport will take these youngsters one day. We also wish them all the best with their final matric exams,” said Loubser.
Read more: Northern Academy soccer team lifts the cup
Jerry Maseko, MEC for Sport said the team’s success will motivate learners and athletes at the school to work hard.
“We are excited for them as they have done exceptional in the tournament. They have shown passion and perseverance and this will motivate them for future successes. They will be writing examinations now and we need them to focus on their books so that they can do well both academically and in sport.”
Fergus Sampson, business executive for the Meridian schools, explained that the school that wins the u/19 category nationally, will receive R3m in infrastructure development to benefit teaching and learning at the school.
“Being part of the Curro Group means we strive for excellence in everything we do, with exceptional results in academics, and in the sports and cultural arenas. Our coaches have been working towards the goal of being the number one soccer school in South Africa for a while now. Northern Academy’s teams have been travelling to Gauteng since pre-season to prepare. It was a big investment of time, energy and money, but well worth it,” says Sampson.
Boasting a combined prize purse of R8.6m in infrastructure development funding, the 2024 competition comprised three divisions: u/19 boys, u/13 boys and u/13 girls.
