Safa Eastern Cape says it is prioritising the revival of school football in the province and recognises the significance of the Kay Motsepe Schools Championship in its plans.
The Kay Motsepe Schools Championship: Football (KMSC Football) is sponsored by the Motsepe Foundation and Sanlam and was launched in 2004 at public, private and independent high schools across SA.
It is the biggest school football tournament in the country, with more than 5,000 schools participating annually.
Schools stand to benefit by improving their infrastructure and teaching and learning environment if they win the championship.
In the competition’s provincials recently, Maria Louw High from the Chris Hani district and Jojo High from Alfred Nzo qualified for the nationals.
They will represent the province in Gauteng, in the Under 19 category, and stand to win R3m.
But they will not be alone in the march to glory, as local school, Aspiranza Primary won the junior section and walked away with R100,000.
The East London-based school is now eyeing the big prize of R1m at the nationals.
After seeing the quality showcased at the tournament, Safa Eastern Cape president Andile Ngconjana emphasised the importance of the competition in producing quality players.
Border Football president Matthew Geech said it was important to encourage all schools in the area to involve their pupils in sport.
He said schools should try to cater to pupils’ interests in various disciplines such as football, mountain biking, karate and surfing.
Aspiranza Primary head coach Bunene Gina said the competition gave the boys an opportunity to showcase their talent and to be selected by big teams.
