Varsity Sports changes the face of football
THE Varsity Football season, which is now drawing to an end, raised the bar when it came to competitive spectator sports.
Newcomers, UJ, are looking to bag the football trophy after testing themselves against their peers, proving their abilities on the playground and eventually making their way into the finals.
According to UJ’s club manager, Joel Kgokong, as spectacular as the team’s play was, getting to the semis wasn’t as difficult for the varsity boys as many may believe. He said although new to Varsity Sports, playing the other teams was not new for UJ.
“Last year we played Tuks [University of Pretoria] at the USSA Gauteng finals and we won against them, so we are looking to walk off the field with the cup,” said Kgokong.
The club manager believes Varsity Sports is changing the face of football at university level. Varsity Sports is a high-performance competition platform that enables qualifying South African universities to compete against one another in six different sporting codes.
Initially, the competition introduced South African universities to Varsity sevens rugby and Varsity beach volleyball, but it recently also launched its athletics, women’s hockey, soccer and netball.
“It was after the second match of the season that I started receiving calls from other young soccer players inquiring about joining the team once they get to university. These young players now see varsity as the next level of football for them,” he said.
“Through Varsity Football, these boys are able to see varsity as an opportunity to not only improve their skills, as they will be working with high quality coaches, but also as the place to get noticed on the soccer pitch.”
One of the requirement for players to participate in Varsity Sports is that they have to be a registered student at the university.
Making reference to the now-Orlando Pirates player, Lehlohonolo Majoro, Kgokong said varsity football was an important level, as the boys would also get the opportunity to get an education at the same time.
“Majoro is able to make good decisions. He has a radiography practise where he can start his lifelong career once his soccer career ends. He is able to do this because he has the education and the varsity qualification,” he added.
The final will be played on 15 September at the UJ Soweto stadium.
