The last Copa Coca-Cola Provincial Final will happen at the Lentegeur Stadium, Mitchell’s Plain, Cape Town on Saturday, 26 March, where eight Regional high school winners will fight it out to be the school to represent Western Province in the National finals. Players and fans can expect an action packed entertaining day that will be further enhanced with a visit by ex Bafana Bafana captain, Lucas Radebe.
“Copa Coca-Cola promotes on-going youth development through our active lifestyle platform,” said Themba Nobanda, Coca-Cola Brand Manager. “It is not just about winning, but about respecting diversity, forging friendships, and harnessing the extraordinary power that football has to unite people. Lucas is a true role model who has played the game at the highest level. He knows what it takes to get to the top – and stay there - and is therefore an ideal Copa Coca-Cola ambassador.”
Copa Coca-Cola, explains Nobanda, is also about feeding new players into the existing structures of South African soccer to create a legacy in the sport. Besides the cash prizes to be won, the tournament creates a platform for high school players interested in a professional soccer career to be seen be scouts from SAFA as well as from PSL clubs.
The Western Cape Provincial finals kick-off at 9am on Saturday and the battle will be between; Robinvale Secondary School from West Coast Region, Gansbaai Secondary School (Overberg Region), Marray Secondary School (Eden Region) Cloetesville Secondary School (Winelands region). Bastiaanse Secondary School (Karoo Region), Western Cape Sports School (Cape Town Region), Moderdam Secondary School (Cape Town Region) and Portlands Secondary School (Cape Town Region). All schools this week will be trying to dethrone last year’s Western Cape champions Cloetesville High School.
But Cloetesville coach, Chris Joubert, hopes that his team will retain its top position, considering they have successfully defended their title in three out of the four years they have been playing in the tournament. “We have lost some of our keys players that did so well last year but have found some promising new talent,” he says. “We remain positive and go into these finals with a positive outlook. We are a proud team from a proud school, all we can do is play our best and see what happens.
“Keep an eye out for Damien van der Rheede, one of our top defenders. He and striker Ryan Wagenaar are definitely going to cause a stir on the pitch, Joubert adds. “Wagenaar has already been noticed by a number of Johannesburg-based teams and I think this year will be his chance to prove himself.”
The ultimate winner on Saturday will join: Mohlodi High School (Gauteng), Freddie Sithole High School ( Mpumalanga), Groutville High School (KwaZulu-Natal), Kakamas High School (Northern Cape), Ndamase Senior Secondary School (Eastern Cape), Benny’s Care Academy (Limpopo), Sol Plaatjies High School (North West) and HTS Louis Botha (Free State) at the National Finals scheduled for Kimberley from 31 March to 2 April.
All nine Provincial winners receive R40 000 just for making it as far as they have, and the National winners will receive an additional R150 000. Second place and third place get to take home R100 000 and R60 000 respectively; these lump sums are to be spent on a legacy project of the school’s choice.
“Coca-Cola realises that a successful football legacy cannot be left for the next generation without a strong development programme in place to identify talent that can be nurtured,” says Nobanda. “These youngsters will turn into professional footballers and role models - and bring success to future national teams.”
With the Western Cape concluding the provincial finals, the National finals are next up. Regardless of who wins on Saturday, all the finalists will be known and it will be all-systems-go for the intense, high-pressure, high-quality football that the National round of the Copa Coca-Cola is known for.
“Coca-Cola realises that a successful football legacy cannot be left for the next generation without a strong development programme in place to identify talent that can be nurtured,” says Nobanda. “These youngsters will turn into professional footballers and role models - and bring success to future national teams.”
With the Western Cape concluding the provincial finals, the National finals are next up. Regardless of who wins on Saturday, all the finalists will be known and it will be all-systems-go for the intense, high-pressure, high-quality football that the National round of the Copa Coca-Cola is known for.
Media Enquiries:
Themba Nobanda
Brand Manager
Coca-Cola South Africa
082 215 1823
Or
Pearl Ndlazi
083 232 1389
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