BOPHELONG.- It is that time of the year when the local amateur teams will gear up for the 2nd Edition of Bophelong Super 16 Soccer Tournament scheduled to start from 16 – 18 June.
This was revealed to Sedibeng Ster Sport by Molefi “Duku Duku” Mahlangu who is the main organizer of this annual soccer tournament.
Speaking to Sedibeng Ster Sport, this year’s tournament will be bigger and better with many teams from outside Sedibeng showing a lot of interest to be part of this tournament. Mahlangu who is a player himself, playing for an ABC Motsepe League team in Bloemfontein said the tournament is meant to give the youngsters an opportunity to showcase their talent and to be scouted by scouts who will be attending the tournament.
Some of the notable names who will be watching from the stand are Uthongathi Coach, Papi Zothwane, and Solomon Mathe who is an assistant to Zothwane. The tournament involves the following age categories u/17, u/21, and first teams.
The winners in the u/17 will walk away with R4000 cash, a soccer kit, medals, and a trophy for their effort while the winners for the u/21 will be smiling all the way to bring back a cheque of R6000, a trophy, soccer kit, and gold medals. The first team’s prize money for the winners is R5500, a soccer kit, trophy, and gold medals. There will be a hive of activities with ex-professional players playing as curtain-raisers before the final.
“We are looking forward to our second edition of this Super 16 Tournament and this year it will be on another level. We want to be the best out of the players because it is not about winning but for these players to be seen by scouts.
“This is their platform to showcase their God-given talent to open doors for themselves to play at the next level. As I always maintained we are blessed with talent in this region but there are no opportunities for these youngsters and some of them end up quitting football. This tournament is the right platform for them to market their talent,” concluded Mahlangu.
