Three Shield winners announced
The three were chosen among the 25 players who spent almost a week training at the Tuks High Performance Centre in Hatfield.
The third edition of the Shield Sbonis’iDiski trials came to an end at the West Rand stadium on Wednesday with the announcement of three winners.
The talented youngsters were among the 25 who spent almost a week training at the Tuks high-performance centre in Hatfield recently.
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The three did not only win a trip to train with Chelsea in London but also received a life-changing one-year contract to join the Buccaneers’ MDC team.
Soccer analyst Mpho Letsholonyane said the journey was life-changing for the players and encouraged those not offered contracts to keep pushing.
Photo: Eliot Mahlased
“This tournament started three years ago, and we only scouted players in five regions. It was tough and tricky, and we had to find our feet to make this campaign successful. Along the way we learned and improved and last year, we moved from five to 10 regions,” she said.
“This year, we went to all provinces and the selection was much wider. We had to choose from a total of 11 000 players from across the country,” Letsholonyane said.
Shield coach Gareth Marshall was pleased with how this year’s edition unfolded and praised the players’ professionalism and work ethic.
“The guys fought for each other and showed good team spirit throughout. After the 25 were chosen, they all came together and gelled which is incredible. Don’t think we have seen anything like this in the past two editions.”
Marshall said the three would train in world-class facilities and meet Chelsea development players.
“Normally, the players will spend four to five days with Chelsea and get an understanding [of] how the premier league works. This year, we are planning on keeping them there for longer so they can get more experience.”
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