Grannies’ international tourney is coming
Preparations for the 2023 Grannies International Football Tournament (GIFT) are underway, as twenty teams have confirmed their participation.

Thirteen international teams and seven South African teams from Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal will be part of the competition. The international teams include the United States of America (USA), France, Lesotho, and Togo among others. The games will start from Sunday, March 26 to Wednesday, March 29 at the Nkowankowa Stadium.

Some of the games will be played at Lenyenye Stadium in the Maake area. The tournament is the first of its kind in the world. GIFT has been birthed after philanthropist, Beka Ntsanwisi, who established granny soccer teams all over South Africa, including Mozambique. She started in 2007 while working on a home-based care project looking after sick elderly patients.
Also read: Football club booted out tourney
She eventually introduced soccer to keep the senior citizens healthy. More teams joined the initiative and grannies travelled from as far as France, Russia, and the US, even meeting former US president, Barack Obama, to participate.



