Some of the soccer players, coaches, match officials and club administrators during the SAB League Skills Camp held recently.
The South African Breweries (SAB) in close partnership with the South African Football Association (SAFA) successfully hosted the inaugural edition of the SAB League Skills Camp.
The event was held on Saturday, March 12 at the Durban University of Technology in Pietermaritzburg. This groundbreaking grassroots football development initiative by SAB saw 80 players, 20 coaches, 20 match officials and 20 club administrators from the SAB League being taken through valuable skills and capacity building training to further develop them in their respective areas.
The SAB League Skills Camp has been developed by SAB to bridge the vast gap between education and professional football, which has over the years resulted in loss of talent both on and off the field. A total of 140 participants were involved in the one day workshop conducted by highly qualified SAFA instructors such as Steve Coetzee. This was then followed by a practical session on the field in the form of exhibition matches involving all players, coaches and match officials where they were tasked to put to practice what was learnt during the workshops.
Speaking at the event SAB’s Socio-Economic Specialist, Ms Ntombi Kholwa congratulated all the participants who attended the workshop, saying that it is a step in the right direction for development within their journey to professional football.
SAB’s Socio-Economic Specialist Ms Ntombi Kholwa with one of the players Vusi Skhosana and SAFA’s Director of Competitions Mr Balebetse Monnakgotla.
“As proud sponsors of the SAB League, we are always looking at finding innovative but most importantly, effective methods of improving our offering to the development of football. We believe that through these SAB League Skills Camps, SAB can play its part in contributing to an even better society through football,” said Kholwa.
SAFA’s Director of Competitions, Mr Balebetse Monnakgotla further added to Ms Kholwa’s sentiments.
“Modern sport has proven that talent alone is never sufficient if not supported by education. Today marks an incredible milestone for South African football where we are embarking on a new and more relevant approach to football development. We salute the efforts of SAB and thank them for their continuous commitment to football development,” said Monnakgotla.
All 140 participants received a certificate of recognition for their attendance at the SAB League Skills Camp. The Skills Camps will continue across the country with the next camp scheduled to take place in the Northern Cape in April.
