LOCAL rural school Welabasha High, were jubilant after recently taking the KwaZulu Natal provincial title in Ladysmith at the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup Provincial finals.
The school from the uThungulu district, booked their place in the national finals of the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup competition after beating Sibongumusa High School 5–4 on a penalty shoot-out.
Challenging for the ultimate prize in the competition, which is R1 million to be used to fund sporting and educational projects, the team had a very good reason to celebrate.
After claiming the KZN crown, Welabasha were given R100 000 which, according to coach Sandile Sabelo, will be put to good use.
‘The school still needs to decide what to do, but I want us to focus on building a proper pitch as we train on a field that is filled with rocks and it’s unsafe for the players. We also need to buy each player a pair of boots. They don’t all have their own, and sometimes they have to borrow,’ said Sabelo.
This is the first time the school have made it to the provincials, so to win it is a fantastic result. Sandile believes that this competition is doing big things for soccer development in the province.
The coach identified right winger Philani Biyela as his key player in the team. ‘He is currently in grade 12 and top of his class academically and a talented player for the team,’ said Sabelo.
‘After matriculating, I want to study Social Services and become a Social Worker and help in my community,’ said Philani Biyela.
About the tournament
This tournament runs under the auspices of the South Africa Football Association (SAFA).
Named after prominent businessman Patrice Motsepe’s late mother, the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup offers the biggest prize money at school level in Africa (R3.4 million in total).
The primary objective of the tournament is to revive the culture of school football amongst students between the ages of 16 and 19 years.
The tournament also gives players the opportunity to showcase their skills to soccer scouts with the talented players being recruited into development structures to be nurtured and shaped into professional players.
