ROSINA SEDIBANE SPORTS SCHOOL EYES THE R1 MILLION SANLAM KAY MOTSEPE SCHOOLS CUP FIRST PRIZE

Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School’s U19 team will be in action again this year vying for the R1 million first prize on offer in the richest high school soccer tournament in Africa, the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup.  

Rosina finished in third place in 2012 winning R500 000 for the school that will be used to upgrade the soccer fields, lay down an irrigation system, purchase new nets and soccer poles, soccer equipment, a photo copy machine, cameras, televisions and DSTV.  “This year we would like to bring home the R1 million first prize as there is a lot more we need for the school,” said coach Reginald Petersen.

 
Petersen says his team started training early this year with the aim to maximise fitness levels. “By the beginning of February we were already playing friendlies against other schools and in mid-February we moved to much stronger teams and academies like Bidvest Wits, Clapham High School and the School of Excellence,” he said.

Petersen believes his team is stronger than last year’s. “I am confident that this year we will make it to the finals again, but this time we are hoping to win. I have four players that were part of last year’s team and the others come from our under-18s.”

Three of Rosina’s players that competed in the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup last year are currently contracted to Supersport United. They are defender Thabo Moloi and midfielders Cebo Meyiwa (Rosin) and Snethemba Ngidi. Zakhele Nkosi is currently training with Amazulu FC.

Entries for the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup closed on 26 March and the South African Schools Football Association (SASFA) are still collating entries from around the country, but the number is expected to exceed the 2012 figure of 2 500. 

“This year will mark Sanlam’s fourth year of involvement in this tournament,” said Frank Louw, Sponsorship manager, Sanlam. “One of the reasons we got involved was to get as many footballers as possible between the ages of 15 and 19 to compete and give them the opportunity to be recruited into development structures to be nurtured and shaped into professional footballers. We are pleased that players from Rosina are now with a PSL Club and we look forward to seeing them reach the highest level of the game.”

 

About the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup:

·         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 sponsors are:  Sanlam, the Motsepe Foundation and the Sanlam Ubuntu-Botho Community Development Trust.

·         The primary objective of the tournament is to revive the culture of school football amongst students between the age of 16 and 19 years old.

·         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.