AFTER months of training and preparation, the 2015 Nedbank Ke Yona team was finally unveiled on Tuesday, August 11.
The experienced selection quartet of Shakes Mashaba, Owen Da Gama, Khabo Zondo and Mike Mangena handpicked the final 18-member squad, to take on the current Nedbank Cup champions, amongst thousands of aspiring footballers between the ages of 18 and 25.
The 2015 edition of South Africa’s largest football talent search attracted more than 40 000 entries and got underway earlier this year in Mpumalanga, Free State, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Each province saw aspiring footballers put up their best performance leaving the four Ke Yona selectors to make tough selection choices. From the six provinces, 48 players were selected and invited to an intense bootcamp at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria where they were trained and conditioned by the best sports scientists while working closely with the four Ke Yona coaches.
Not only did the footballers experience high quality training methods but Nedbank also provided financial education to the players to assist them in making sound financial decisions in their professional football careers.
With the Ke Yona team search currently in its third edition, players such as Sydney Masana (Free State Stars), Maphosa Modiba (Mpumalanga Black Aces and SA u.20) and Khanya Gwala (Orlando Pirates) are the examples of how Nedbank continues to make a meaningful difference in the various communities that it serves.
The Ke Yona team will return to the High Performance Centre in Pretoria on August 27 for their final preparations before their highly anticipated match against Mamelodi Sundowns.
Ke Yona’s first match will be at the Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville, Pretoria on Sunday, September 6.
