SHARPEVILLE.- It was a vibrant and action-packed sporting weekend across various venues in Sedibeng, with several events forming part of the Emfuleni Local Municipality’s Vaal River Carnival programme.

Former Orlando Pirates darling Steve ‘Chippa’ Lekoelea hosted soccer coaching clinics and a soccer tournament at George Thabe Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.

This programme kicked off with coaching clinics on Saturday and concluded with the tournament on Sunday at the same venue. Local children showed up in large numbers to participate in the programme, eager to learn from one of South Africa’s football legends. Lekoelea, who remains a popular figure among young football fans, was joined by other local former players to offer a free soccer lesson to these aspiring athletes.

Meanwhile, in another major sporting event, FAR Post, in conjunction with Lucky Star, FUTPRO, and Molisto Media, successfully hosted FAR Post Cup for Boys U17 and Girls U19 at James Ground in Sharpeville on Saturday. The tournament, which featured both boys’ and girls’ U17 teams, is part of an annual youth football development programme run by FAR Post and its partners.

This year’s journey started with a coaching seminar in June in Emfuleni. The teams that qualified to be part of this tournament earned their spots in the tournament by topping the log in their respective Local Football Association (LFA) stream. Among the teams that participated in this tournament were Thubelihle Youth Development, United Sports Academy, Evaton Blue, X-United, Sebokeng Orange Farm, Sebokeng Ajax, Sebokeng Yellow, Vaal Inter FC Boitshepiville White Stream, and LMS Academy.

Speaking to Sedibeng Ster Sport, Emfuleni Local Football Association (ELFA) Head of Development Master Zondo said the girls’ team participating in the Women’s Regional League is represented by Elmagreen Ladies FC, Sebokeng Ajax FC, Vaal Ladies FC, LMTT Ladies, Mighty Eagles Ladies FC and VUT Ladies FC.

Vaal Inter FC won the boys’ section, with Elmagreen Ladies FC crowned the tournament champions in the girls’ category. Zondo revealed to Sedibeng Ster Sport that there are plans for FAR POST to renovate the Qedilizwe facilities in Evaton North.

“This was a great initiative, and I want to thank everyone, especially from our LFA, for making this event a success. The support we received from the Sharpeville community was overwhelming,” said Zondo.

The tournament offered major prizes, including individual accolades such as the Player of the Tournament award.

The winner of this title walked away smiling, with a R2 500 cheque in hand.