Kopano Monaheng
School soccer tournaments are not a milestone for players only but for their schools as well.
Although it is normal for schools to feel pressure everytime big soccer tournaments take place, it is much worse for the players who will be on the team’s starting eleven.
They need all the support they can get.
Sifiso Nxumalo, football coach and scout, said tournaments like this one helps his Academy to find players that are well refined.
He knows that each player has different strengths and interests, which needs to be developed for their growth and success. Nxumalo said this at this year’s Kay Motsepe Schools Championship finals which took place in Pretoria on Saturday.
The annual school soccer tournament for boys and girls held in partnership with Sanlam helps schools win big money every year.
Over 13,000 school teams from across South Africa participated in the competition.
Donaldson and Queenswood Primary Schools walked away with R100 000 each on Saturday.
While Clapham High School were the biggest winners of the championship walking away with a whopping amount of R150 000.
Nxumalo explained:
“So the vision of the club is obviously to make sure that we build not only footballers in the future. But better human beings,” said Nxumalo.
He said education can play a big role in developing their skills and knowledge.
“So it’s important for us, as much as we are a football programme that, it has to be aligned with education to make sure that, as much as we can, others can still become professionals in other disciplines. That’s why it’s important for us to make sure that they’re educated.”
He said tournaments are very important in helping players to deal with things like stress, anxiety and the excitement of having to play in these kinds of matches.
He said for players who are U-13 they look for potential in those players . Of course there’s still a lot of coaching that needs to take place, until they’re a complete player.
“Those are the individual tactics that you look for, but in essence, there are four factors of performance, technique, tactics, and the physical aspect and also the psychological aspect. So under 19, you want the player to be at a high level in all those aspects in relation to his opposition.”
