All systems go for BNFC tournament

The organiser of the annual Benoni Northerns tournament, Justin dos Santos, expects a turnout of around 90 teams when the competition starts on March 15.

Presented by Benoni Northerns Football Club (BNFC) and Dos Santos’ Juzz Sports and Events, the inaugural edition last year, which incorporated the BNFC’s 50th anniversary, was a success, attracting 71 teams and over 900 players.

Dos Santos hopes to build on this success and has hit the ground running with preparation for the two-day tournament, which features U7 to U10 on matches March 15 and U11 to U15 games on March 16.

“We’ve started a trend as the BNFC. We are on the ball. Everyone was happy last year. We are trying to make the tournament better. We are changing a few things to make it more family-orientated,” he said.

After setting a benchmark last year, Dos Santos has introduced new incentives to reward match officials and coaches, as well as an app parents can use to track match summaries, fixtures, scores and logs.

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“Last year, we rewarded the best referee of the tournament. But this year, we have awards for referees for each age group and the coaches will vote. We are also introducing the best coach award, which will be voted for by the referees,” said Dos Santos.

The tournament is a fundraiser for the BNFC. Last year’s competition was the first hosted by the club in 25-years and Dos Santos organised it to thank the Northerns for its contribution to his life.

“I want Northerns to grow. I want to put the club on the map. This is my way of thanking the club for its impact on my life.”
The entry fee is R850 per team. Entries close on March 7.

To register contact Dos Santos on 082 610 6201 or email the BNFC on events@bnfc.co.za.

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