When the Johannesburg
East cluster games in the under-19 Kay Motsepe Schools Cup, sponsored by Sanlam
and the Motsepe Foundation, gets going on 14th April, it’s going to
be a new experience for Wendywood High School.
This is the first
year in the soccer tournament for the school and, according to Mrs Keitumetsi
Makola, sports director at the school and the team’s manager, the feeling was
that, although the school has been playing soccer for many years, it was time
to participate in a structured tournament.
“In the past we
participated in our local league tournament only,” Makola said. “Participating
in this tournament will definitely give the boys experience and it will expose
them to endless possibilities. It’s our duty as teachers and coaches to help
these kids get discovered by professional teams.”
As newcomers, Makola
accepts that this year will be a learning phase for them. “We are not expecting
major success from the team during this tournament,” she said. “We are a
relatively small team with players aged 17, we only have one player who is 18
years old. That’s a disadvantage because most schools have 18 or 19 year olds
playing for them,”
With that said, it
does not mean that they don’t have their sights set on moving higher than the
cluster level. “The team trains twice a week and plays two friendly games
each week,” Makola explained. “We are doing everything we can to make sure that
the players are fit and ready for the games ahead.”
The schools Wendywood
will meet in their cluster games are the same ones they play in their local
league and, having won that league twice, they are confident, going into the
competition.
“But, we are new in
this tournament and I know how competitive it is so we are not putting pressure
on the team at all. We just want the team to familiarise themselves with the
level of competitiveness of this tournament,” Makola said. “We obviously want
them to play their best and not back down, but we also have to take into
consideration that experience plays a huge role.”
Makola has been
following the tournament in previous years and she has told the team that this
soccer tournament is the highest in schools sport. This is where players
get scouted, where they get to compete with the best. “Since 2011 the
tournament has been won by academies, that alone shows how tough the tournament
is,” she said.
The team is coached
by Mxolisi Mhlungu, who is a SAFA qualified coach and has been with the school
for a number of years now. “He has a very good relationship with the players
and his selection policy of selecting younger players and developing them will
pay off in the long run,” Makola said.
No comments:
Post a Comment