Sundowns host camp for key Kay Motsepe schools cup players
Twenty-six players selected through the Kay Motsepe schools cup join Sundowns development academy.
A total of 26 players selected from different high schools through the Kay Motsepe schools cup, attended a training camp hosted by Mamelodi Sundowns on Friday.
The 26 were scouted in provincial and national finals this year and selected based on their skills and potential.
The scouts believed the players could benefit substantially from the experience of being in a Sundowns camp, run by some of the top coaches in the country.
“There are a number of key objectives for the cup,” said Mamelodi Sundowns scout,” Mandla Mazibuko.
“One is to give talented young players an opportunity to be seen by scouts from professional clubs and be earmarked for further development. The camp provides another opportunity for the clubs to see the players and make contact with those that catch their eye.”
He said some of the players were disadvantaged because they had limited training equipment and were coached by teachers with no formal coaching experience.
“Through this camp we wanted them to be encouraged to keep up with their football. I can assure you that when the boys go home from this camp they will be talking a different language. Some have grown substantially in just a week,” he said.
The players stayed at the Sundowns development academy campus where they got to mingle with the Sundowns development players, and learnt a lot from them. “The boys got on very well with each other and were eager to learn,” Mazibuko said adding they all embraced the opportunity and performed well.
As part of the camp they played a game against the Sundowns u.17 team.
The group also watched an ABC Motsepe league match between Mamelodi Tigers (a team of Sundowns academy players) and Makadi FC which ended in a 3-all draw. The game gave the players insight into how Sundowns approached matches and highlighted the tactical and technical sides of a game.
A problem identified when the boys went into camp was that the they were at different levels of development because they had different coaches. “Getting them to adapt to new techniques was difficult,” said Mazibuko. “It was our mission to train them to be better soccer players and to get them to learn how to adapt to different environments.”
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