Local team to play against PSL giants

LOCAL soccer players will soon get the opportunity to play against Premier Soccer League (PSL) giants such as Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns.

Hibiscus Coast Municipality council has taken a decision to partner with Dark or Blue Marketing and Communications to host this year’s Mayoral Cup.

The Mayoral Cup is HCM’s annual event, a tournament which aims to create a platform for local youth to showcase their talent for their personal development.

Local teams will continue to play preliminary matches at ward and cluster levels, culminating in a final played by the winning teams.

During the course of these matches, the strongest players will be chosen to form an HCM team with will play one of the PSL big guns on the day of the finals.

The visiting PLS team will also interact with schools, offering coaching clinics and motivational talks against social ills such as underage drinking, drug taking and teenage pregnancy.

This year’s mayoral cup will cater for everyone, with various activities to attract visitors to the South Coast. These will include a formal gala dinner and a music festival where local and national musician will entertain the crowd.

The project is estimated to cost around R8.5 million, but HCM council will not contribute anything more than R1 million. The balance will be sourced through provincial and national government as well the private sector once a memorandum of agreement is signed.

“We believe that the participation of premier clubs such as Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in the Mayoral Cup will not only contribute positively on tourism but will also give local soccer players the opportunity to play in front of national scouts,” said HCM spokesman Simon Soboyisa.

Dark or Blue has also promised to give back 20 percent of the profits of the tournament into a mayoral fund that will be used to assist our young people especially those seeking to access higher education.