Green Village hosts youth soccer tournament to uplift Soweto communities

The Winnie Radebe Foundation again hosted its much-anticipated school holiday soccer tournament, creating a platform for local football clubs at the Green Village sports ground from June 23 to 28.

The tournament featured U17 and U15 clubs from around Soweto.

Winnie Radebe told the Urban News it was the third tournament, and they hoped to host many more to help young people avoid negative influences during the school holidays.

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“With this tournament, we try to help our children by making sure they don’t involve themselves in bad habits.

“It makes a difference for our young boys in the community, creates safety, encourages socialisation, and helps our young ones showcase their talents,” explained Radebe.

She added that the fees the teams paid go towards buying school uniforms for disadvantaged learners from schools around Green Village and Lufhereng, proving the tournament benefits the players and many other children in the community.

The winners – the U15 Dobsonville Gardince United and the U17 Juventus local football clubs – won soccer kits and balls, medals and trophies.

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A coach for one of the teams, Steven Vilakazi, said he believed the tournament would bring positive change to the community.

“Our teams truly benefit from this tournament. Our children learnt a lot while here and spent their time doing something positive and meaningful. We hope the Winnie Radebe Foundation continues to help many more children in the future, said Vilakazi.