Vuma kicks off the dreams of 10 future soccer stars at first SA-based IberCup LaLiga camp
ALEXANDRA – To ensure players from underprivileged communities also received the chance to participate in the world-class coaching sessions, Vuma sponsored 10 players from Johannesburg.
Most young soccer players dream of playing in the Spanish LaLiga for teams such as Real Madrid and Barcelona and following in the footsteps of legends such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
This dream became a real possibility for 160 young South Africans when they kicked off their first week of the IberCup football camp in partnership with LaLiga.
IberCup is the world’s largest youth international football organisation, run in 15 countries around the world. The organisation partnered with LaLiga, the football organisation responsible for the Spanish football league, to host five-day camps conducted by experienced UEFA Pro Licensed coaches Tony Alvarez Zamora and Luis Martinez.
To ensure players from underprivileged communities also received the chance to participate in the world-class coaching sessions, leading South African fibre provider, Vuma, sponsored 10 future soccer stars for the Johannesburg programme.
“We wanted to give young boys and girls, who would otherwise not have been able to access an opportunity like this, a chance to experience hope, courage, and dignity through the highest and most competitive international football standards,” said Lianne Williams, head of marketing at Vuma.
“A 15-year old boy we sponsored, rallied hundreds of people in his community to support him so that he could attend the LaLiga camp, which made us realise how life-changing, priceless connectivity in our communities opens up a world of possibilities and enables the extraordinary.”
IberCup relied heavily on the country’s local football associations to help identify talented players at local football clubs for the Johannesburg camp, including areas such as Westbury, Alexandra, and Mamelodi.
Players at the IberCup camps will also have the opportunity to go overseas to receive training at international soccer clubs in 2022.
“We look at our townships and that is where a lot of this talent is hidden and, through this initiative and bringing IberCup and LaLiga on board, we are able to go out and scout for that talent,” said Mbali Hlophe, Gauteng MEC for Sports, Art, Culture and Recreation.
IberCup will run its next camp at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town in October and at Hoy Park in Durban in December. The programme continues to search for hidden football talent around the country and calls on anyone looking to sponsor a young football star to visit www.ibercup.co.za
