SAPS’ football tournament to kick off in Roodepoort
Some policemen from six clusters to put crime fighting aside.
Gauteng police officers will trade their handcuffs and uniforms for a pair of boots and a soccer jersey when the SAPS Provincial Football tournament kicks off in Roodepoort.
Their crime-fighting duties will be put aside as it has been confirmed that some men and women in blue will come together at the Princess High School soccer field on Saturday 12 April.
Six clusters in the Gauteng province are involved with the police stations making up the teams of West Rand, North Rand, Johannesburg, Soweto, Pretoria and East Rand. Other teams confirmed to participate are Vaal Rand, Masters, Provincial women and West Rand women.
The tournament, which will stretch over a month (from 12 April to 10 May) involves four round robin stages for both men and women football, followed by the semifinals and finals.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) released an official statement saying, “The purpose of this is to make all interested members (Police Act and Public Service Act) aware of the sporting calendar of the province.
“All members of SAPS are encouraged to participate in sports as it improves the morale and health of every employee of the service.
“It enables employees to function on an optimal level both physically and mentally.”
Coach of the West Rand team and a policemen by profession indicated to the Record that stations to represent his squad
involves members of the Florida, Roodepoort, Carletonville, Krugersdorp and Randfontein Police Stations.
North Rand vs Soweto and Johannesburg vs East Rand will kick off the tournament at the first leg at 9am on the day, followed by the West Rand
against Vaal Rand while the Masters will lock horns with Pretoria.
Remaining fixtures for the day:
• 11.45am: Provincial women vs West Rand women
• 1pm: Soweto vs East Rand
• 1pm: West Rand vs North Rand
• 4pm: Vaal Rand vs Pretoria
• 4pm: Johannesburg vs Masters
Schedule for the remaining legs:
• 26 April at a venue of choice in North Rand
• 28 April at a venue choice in Johannesburg
• 1 May at a venue choice in Soweto
• 3 May (quarter finals) at a venue choice in Pretoria
• 10 May (finals) at a venue choice in East Rand
