Mondale wins R100 000 as Western Province Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup Champions

Mondale High School retained the Western Cape Provincial title in the under-19 Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup tournament, beating new-comers, Desmond Tutu Senior Secondary School 2 - 1 in the final at the Blue Downs Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday.

Both teams progress through to the national finals taking place in Tshwane from 5 – 9 October.

There were great celebrations after the final and Mondale manager, Nigel Crowie, explained that this was the result of a culmination of 6 months of hard work and their ultimate goal was to retaining the trophy.  “I want to commend all 17 players in the squad for their hard work and dedication.”

Crowie believes that they played as a team at the provincial finals and that it was a joint effort. “Our captain, Clinton Herwell led by example. He is a natural leader and good motivator and has caught the eye of the Sundowns scouts,” he said. “Clinton was scouted to attend college in the USA in 2011 but opted to stay in Cape Town and complete his studies.”

But Herwell is not just a footballer. “He is an excellent all -rounder. He is a good academic, a top sprinter and has his colours for Western Cape and Western Province,” Crowie said. “I believe he will go far in his sporting career.”

Another key player at the finals was Dillon Fransch. He played in the 2013 Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup national finals and was selected to attend trials at Mamelodi Sundowns but was signed by Ajax Cape Town before he left for the camp and has been there since then.

Fransch says he has improved in leaps and bounds this year since being at Ajax Cape Town.  He travelled to the Netherlands and played in a tournament that was held at Ajax Amsterdam and the highlight of the year was being selected to play for the under-19 national team.

He credits his parents for where he is today.  “I would not have got to where I am now without the support from my parents. They are there behind me every step of the way and watch every game I play in. My dream is to play internationally. I would like to play for Manchester United and only time will tell if I achieve that. In Mitchell’s Plain, where I live, there are many distractions and bad influences, but I am focused on my career and never get involved.”

Mondale coach, Dale Raynard concurs with Dillon on the important role parents play in player’s lives.  “Players such as Dillon and Clinton have the confidence and ability to succeed which emanates from the support of their parents.  Far too often I see talent, be this on the sports field or in the classroom, come to nothing due to lack of support from parents.”

The next step for the team is to go back to Cape Town and focus on their school work as preliminary exams are coming up soon. Only once these exams are finished will they begin preparing for the national finals.

Meanwhile, newcomers, Louwville, might not have got through to the national finals, but the experience has been invaluable to them, according to coach, Sizwe Matomla. “This is our first provincial final experience and we look at it as a learning experience,” he said. “You have to prepare thoroughly to participate at this level, and this includes getting all the player’s papers in order. On the field of play we learnt that it is imperative to communicate with each other perfectly and I believe this is one of the areas that let us down.

Defensive play was also an area of concern for the coach.  “They say the best form of defence is attack and we did not attack well enough. Soccer is a growing sport along the West Coast, which is traditionally a rugby and cricket playing area. We are now playing local soccer leagues and I believe that in a few years’ time we will be a force to be reckoned with.”

Western Cape Provincial Finals Results

Mondale 1 vs Beaufort West 0

Qhayiya 0 vs Beaufort West 1

Qhayiya 1 vs Mondale 3

Louwville 0 vs Thembalethu 0

Semifinals - Mondale 2 vs Thembalethu 0; Desmond Tutu 1 vs Beaufort West 0

3rd  4th playoff - Beaufort West 0 vs Thembalethu 0 (Beaufort West won on penalties)

Final - Mondale 2 vs Desmond Tutu 1

About the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup:

·           The tournament is run under the auspices of the South Africa Football Association (SASFA)

   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.