Johannesburg Secondary
School will be the Gauteng representative at the under-15 COPA Coca-Cola
National Finals in Tshwane in early July.
Johannesburg Secondary
beat Clapham High School 2-0 in the final of the Gauteng provincial playoffs at
the Saul Tsotetsi Sports Grounds in Sebokeng on Saturday.
2012 is the first year that COPA Coca-Cola will be an Under 15 tournament
and is run under the auspices of the South African Schools Football Association
(SASFA) with over 1 000 schools from around South Africa competing.
Johannesburg Secondary School
is the education partner to the Orlando Pirates Youth Academy, while Clapham
had players from the Mamelodi Sundowns Youth Academy in its ranks.
The presence of four
Academy teams out of the eight participating in the Gauteng provincials -
Highlands North Boys’ High School (JazzyQueen’s African Sport Academy) and
Rosina Sedibane High School (SuperSport United) are the other two – indicates
that the PSL Clubs are on a mission to boost their squads with home grown
talent.
“It is the way forward,”
said Themba Ngwenya, Mamelodi Sundowns scout. “The Sundowns philosophy is to
look for local talent at an early age and get them into our academy to teach
them the Sundowns way which is the 4-3-3 format and attacking football. Our
club owner, Mr Motsepe, is also doing all he can to boost the Tshwane
communities.”
Isaac Shai, the Clapham
and Sundowns Academy coach was pleased with the way the day went. “We went down
to a mightier opponent, but I am happy with my team. We only enrolled our
players into Clapham earlier this year and we have done exceptionally well in
just a few months,” he said.
I am especially pleased
with the way the players approached each game. They kept their composure and
never forgot the game plan.”
Johannesburg Secondary
School had a big advantage: 13 of the 17 players in their squad have been
together since primary school. As a team, they won a 40 nation international
tournament at the Orlando Stadium back in 2009.
Rosina Sedibane suffered
a setback earlier in the day when their key midfielder, OrbadjaMaluleka fell
and broke his wrist so had to be taken to hospital. “It is a pity as he is our
key ball supplier to the strikers,” said their coach, Reginald Patterson. “I
did have back up in Zama Mzondwana, also a midfielder whose special talent is
his ability to read opponents. But it was not our day and all the best to
Johannesburg Secondary School.”
Craig
Van Niekerk, Coca-Cola South Africa Marketing Asset Manager explains the change
of age group: “The change is in line
with COPA Coca-Cola’s global strategy. The Coca-Cola Company backs football at
the highest level, the FIFA World Cup™ and it is the company policy to
complement this by making a direct contribution towards strengthening the sport
at grassroots level through tournaments such as COPA Coca-Cola, and globally
the tournament is run as an Under-15 event.
Coca-Cola South Africa also backs Club football through the Premier
Soccer League (PSL).”
“But
COPA Coca-Cola is not just about winning, but respecting diversity,” explains
Donnay Carter, Coca-Cola South Africa Brand Manager. “It’s about living a healthy and active
lifestyle, forging friendships with those from vastly different backgrounds,
harnessing the extraordinary power that football has to unite different
cultures and backgrounds to bring people together and living for a difference.
”
GUATENG FINAL RESULTS
Pool A - Clapham 3
(Lovers Malatsi, Avuyile Makhudu, Tepiso Mbongwa) Highlands North 0;
ThomasMofolo 1 (Tshediso Monamadi) BasaTutorial Institute 0; Clapham 1
(AvuyileMakhudu) Thomas Mofolo 1 (TshedisoMonamadi); Highlands North 3 (Warren
Segage3) Basa 0; Clapham 8 (Avuyile Makhudu(3), Lovers Malatsi (3), Sizwe
Chuene, Thomas Njajubana) Basa 0; Thomas Mofolo 5 (Tshediso Monanadi (4) Thabo
Modubu ) Highlands North 1 (Warren Segage).
Pool B - Johannesburg 3
(Sibusiso Damini, Thula Tabethe, Sizwe Twala) Zitikeni 1 (Mongezi Sicna);
Rosina Sedibane 6 (Banjatwa Hendrik (3), Mabange Sizwe (2), Thuto Marafe)
EdendalePeps 1(Kagiso Maredi); Johannesburg 8 (Bonolo Sieeco, Sizwe Twala (2),
Sibusiso Dlamini (2), Sibusiso Sako, Phila Vela, DanisileMqwathi), Edendale Peps
0; Rosina Sedibane 3 (OfentseMotjaana (2), Tshegofatso Pampati) Edendale Peps 1
(Kagiso Maredi); Johannesburg 1 (Sizwe Twala) Rosina Sedibane 0); Zitikeni 3
(Siche Mongezi, Tebogo Thepe, Sifiso Mtshwei ) Edendale 1(Ofentse Makhatho);
Final- Johannesburg 2
(ThulaThabethe, Mbongiseni Mazibuko) Clapham 0.
About COPA Coca-Cola:
·
Copa
Coca-Cola is run under the auspices of the South African Schools Football
Association (SASFA)
·
Coca-Cola
started sponsoring Coca-Cola Football Stars in 2005.
·
Between
2005 and 2008 a TV reality element was introduced aimed at finding the top 18
players who would go on to compete internationally. To keep interests high an elimination process
was brought in to reduce players from approximately 70 down to 18 and the
public witnessed the trials and tribulations that went into becoming a top
football player.
·
In
2009 and 2010 the name changed to bring the tournament in line with Coca-Cola’s
global youth strategy to COPA Coca-Cola.
The aim of the tournament remained the same i.e. to look for the top
Under-19 school in the country and find the top 18 players who then competed
against approximately 13 other African schools in the Copa Coca-Cola
finals.
·
In
2012 COPA Coca-Cola became an Under 15 tournament to align with the Copa
Coca-Cola globally.
·
The
tournament starts off at Cluster level (this level is now complete as it
happened in January)
·
Regional
winners then compete in the Provincial Finals
·
Provincial
winners then compete in the National Finals taking place from the 3rd
– 7th July.
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