Two local football clubs, Youth Courage FC and Tiki Taka Sports Academy hosted a Gender Based Violence (GBV) Awareness tournament on Saturday, 29 July at Ikageng Stadium where four football teams competed for top prizes.
This initiative comes against the backdrop of an alarming rate of GBV incidents in the community and the need to end the vicious cycle and consequences of GBV.
Two teams that play the LFA (Local Football Association) League and two teams that form part of the ABC Motsepe League constituted the teams who played in this tournament. Youth Courage FC took on North West Signal in the first semi-final and won by way of penalties.
Tiki Taka Sports Academy faced off against Stilfontein Real Hearts. Tiki Taka won 3-0 and qualified for the final.
Tiki Taka Sports Academy took the top prize after beating Youth Courage FC on penalties.
“I’m so proud of the team’s performance. It’s clear that all of our hard work has really paid off. But we’re not done yet – there’s still a lot of room for improvement and growth, and I’m excited to see what the team and us can do in the future” stated Karabelo Mosolodi, Tiki Taka Sports Academy coach.
An exhibition match also took place between Kayo Stars and Youth Courage FC Ladies where Kayo Stars won 2-1.
“Soccer is an exciting sport that can be enjoyed by everyone. It promotes physical and mental wellbeing, develops teamwork and friendship, and is a great way to have fun. To say these games were quality soccer would be an understatement. With the tournament being a success we hope the main message prevails that “Youth & Sports are against Gender Based Violence,” stated Debbie Mthombeni, the tournament administrator.
