The much-anticipated Nedbank Ke Yona Team Search officially opened to aspiring football stars on April 1.

The 32-team Nedbank Cup competition that has over the years pit “David against Goliath” has become one of the most exciting football tournaments in the Premier Soccer League.

Running parallel to this prestigious tournament is the Nedbank Ke Yona Team Search that discovers exciting South African football talent for a shot at a professional football career.

The search is testimony to Nedbank living up to its brand promise of making goals happen for South Africans from all walks of life.

With over 48 000 entries, this year’s edition is set to be even bigger and better as the quest to find the cream of the crop of South African football officially kicks off today.

The successful players who make it through the initial tryout phases will be scouted from five provinces for an exciting boot camp that will have the players not just going through the gruelling football drills from top South African coaches, but also equip the boys with a variety of life-skills sessions that they can use to move forward.

A total of 48 players will be selected and eventually trimmed down to the final squad that will be the 2014 Nedbank Ke Yona Team to face the 2014 Nedbank Cup Champions. From the thousands of participants who took part last year, a final squad of 23 players were selected for a match against Kaizer Chiefs that took place in January.

Tryout dates and venues:

Tuesday April 21: Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, Limpopo

Saturday April 26: King Zwelithini Stadium, Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal

Monday April 28: Kaizer Sebothelo Stadium, Bloemfontein, Free State

Saturday May 10: Ajax Cape Town Ikamva Complex, Parow, Western Cape

Saturday and Sunday, May 24 and 25: FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng.

Interested players must first register by SMSing *120*KEYONA# or *120*539662# and following the easy steps. They must be aged 18 to 35 and in possession of a valid South African ID to be eligible to enter.