Schools from across the country kicked off the Reddam House Ballito U13 Sports Festival with a full set of soccer matches this morning (April 11).

The weekend-long event includes nine schools that will compete over a packed few days of soccer and netball action.

Hosts Reddam Ballito are joined by fellow North Coast schools Ashton International College Ballito, Curro Salt Rock, Eden Village Preparatory School and Maidstone Primary.

Reddam House Umhlanga, Atlantic Seaboard and Bedfordview have also joined in on the fun, as have Durban North Primary.

“This festival is about building bridges through friendly competition and shared experiences,” said sports coordinator, Andrew Thomas.

“Today, we celebrate more than just competition, we celebrate the spirit of sport itself – a philosophy that embraces teamwork, dedication, and the pursuit of excellence.”

The soccer teams played group matches this afternoon, which will continue on Saturday, before getting to the knockout stage on the final day on Sunday.

Games are 20 minutes a half, with teams getting three points for a win and one for a draw.

The netball competition begins on Saturday, with eight teams playing six 23-minute round robin games. Each team will play a match before Sunday’s playoffs.

Friday’s Soccer Results

Reddam Ballito opened the tournament with a goalless draw against Reddam Atlantic Seaboard, who hail from the Western Cape.

Ashton College hit the ground running with a 6-1 victory against Durban North Primary, a scoreline matched by Reddam Bedfordview in their win against Curro Salt Rock.

Reddam Umhlanga delivered the best result of the day however, when they beat Eden Village Prep 7-1.

Ashton and Reddam Ballito were back in action for the much-anticipated local derby, which Ashton claimed 3-1 after conceding the first goal.

Durban North Primary made up for their earlier defeat, beating Reddam Atlantic Seaboard 2-1 in the second match. Curro also got off the mark with a solid 3-0 victory against Eden Village in the Salt Rock derby.

Reddam’s Bedfordview and Umhlanga schools met to end day one of the tournament, with the Joburg team beating their KZN compatriots 4-1.

Soccer and netball action kicks off from 8.30am tomorrow.

Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.

Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.