The list of
qualifiers for the National Finals in the under-15 COPA Coca-Cola football
competition is starting to take shape, and it’s Gauteng’s turn this weekend to
determine their participating school.
The eight
Gauteng regional winning schools will gather at the Saul Tsotetsi Grounds in
Sebokeng on Saturday. They will play pool matches in two sections, followed by
playoffs with the action kicking-off at 9am and entrance is free.
The schools
that will be in action are a who’s who of the high quality footballing schools
in the province as many house players from some of the PSL Club academies.
Rosina
Sedibane-Modiba High School from the Tshwane South Region is one that teaches
the players from SuperSport United’s development programme, and has won
provincial and national titles at various age group levels over the years,
although they have only reached the provincial playoffs of COPA Coca-Cola in
the past two years, finishing second last year.
The school is
determined to go one better this time around. “It’s always an educational and
an inspiring experience to play in COPA Coca-Cola,” says team manager, Sanjay
Baktawa. “The players always come out better from the tournament because of all
the exposure and from seeing the high quality football played at the
tournament.”
“Watch out
for Nelson Maluleka, my key striker whom I know will one day be a household
name. Then I have Paul Keegan (Goalkeeper) and Dane Jooste (midfielder),
also talented players,” said Baktawa.
Other big
names to go through to this stage of the competition are Johannesburg Secondary
School from the Johannesburg North Region, who educates players from the
Orlando Pirates development programme and Highlands North Boys’ High School
from Johannesburg East. These teams will now have competition from Clapham
High School (Tshwane North) who, as from the beginning of the year, educates
players from the Mamelodi Sundowns Academy.
Zitikeni
Secondary School from the Ekurhuleni North Region is also a new comer on the
block. Their coach Robert Nkoana is hoping his boys will do well. “To be part
of a tournament of this calibre is very exciting. We never thought we
would get this far in our first appearance. Rosina and Johannesburg
Secondary have a reputation as the teams that always do well in these tournament
but we will take them on. We might not have academy players in our team
but I have excellent talent like captain, Lebogang Mashiane and Karabo Mokau
(defender) and Thabo Mokwana (midfielder).”
“If we win
COPA Coca-Cola we want to spend the money on soccer equipment, goalposts and
flags,” said Nkoana, a Maths teacher at the school who has no formal football
coaching training.
The other
schools that will be involved in the Gauteng COPA Coca-Cola Provincial
Championship are: Thomas Mofolo Secondary School (Johannesburg Central) Basa
Tutorial Institute (Johannesburg South) and Edendale School (Gauteng North).
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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