First timers challenge Kay Motsepe Schools Cup champions

The under 19 Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup for soccer in Gauteng’s inter-district phase promises to be exciting after the defending champions, Clapham High School, were joined by the new kids on the block, Steve Bikoville Secondary School.

Steve Bikoville from Hammanskraal won the Gauteng North district recently. Not only is Steve Bikoville playing in the tournament for the first time, but this new school – established in 2011 – has only gone up to grade 12 for the first time this year. The under 19 Kay Motsepe Schools competition of the Gauteng inter-district phase will take place in July.

Steve Bikoville’s coach, Mpho Ditshego, said beating schools that have been participating in the tournament for many years now is a motivating experience for his team. “We wanted to enter this tournament with a bang and I think we made a statement and other schools took notice. They should not take us for granted just because it’s the first time we are participating in this tournament,” said Ditshego.

Sport was introduced at the school for the first time this year, explained Ditshego, so they do not have any sports equipment and getting to the inter-district level, despite the challenges, was an amazing feat.

“We were encouraged to enter the tournament by the local South African Schools Football Association coordinator and we had no idea what to expect. It was only when we started playing that I realised that I have a bunch of determined and focused players. We dominated ball possession in every game we played and won comfortably,” he said.

Ditshego also said that being a new school there was so much that they still need and they were going all out to win the R100 000 provincial prize which would make a huge difference. “We need even the basics like soccer balls, and most importantly, we need to lay down a soccer field. At the moment we train on a local community field that is not in a good condition,” stated Ditshego.

Every player is currently linked to a local clubs which has helped Ditshego who has no formal coaching qualification. “They are a new team but when you see them play, you would swear that they have been playing together for a long time.”

Ditshego knows that they will now be meeting the best schools from all the districts and it won’t be a walk in the park. “We will meet up with the likes of Clapham, Rosina Sedibane and the School of Excellence and they have been very successful in this tournament,” he said.

“But there’s always a first time for everything. Clapham managed to win the tournament last year in their first year.” That said, Ditshego agrees that the academy teams have set the bar very high, and the level of competition has changed. “They bring in a more competitive edge to this tournament and I think that’s what this tournament needs. But every school has a chance to win this tournament and the regular schools just have to work harder than the schools affiliated with academies,” he concluded.