Football fervour flourished on the field at this year’s seven-a-side friendly football festival at Vorentoe High School.
There were 12 schools that participated in the third annual festival which was held in conjunction with the Association of Muslim Schools. The festival had U9, U11 and U13 teams participate.
Principal of the Auckland Park Academy of Excellence, Nadia Motara said the tournament encouraged players to let go of the competitive nature that sport tends to have. “This was a way to get players to just enjoy the game and make friends while building relationships.”
Motara expressed that every year the festival improves on the previous one. She added that this year they had a total of 12 schools that participated.
Schools all around Gauteng were invited and she hoped the players left the football field having had lots of fun, feeling enriched with a new experience of what sport is all about.
Each player was awarded a medal and each school received a trophy at the end of the festival. This was seen as a way to encourage the sport and ensure that each player was rewarded for their participation. To encourage more teams to join the festival, they decided to make it seven-a-side.
Former professional footballer for Cape Town Spurs and Dynamos player, Siraj Abbas, was the special guest in attendance. With his presence at the festival, organisers hoped to show young football players that they, too, can aspire to greatness and achieve it.
Abbas said, “The important thing is for them to enjoy it.” He added that he loved it when he looked out onto the field and saw the youngsters’ passion.
