The serious revival of football in schools will help improve the standard of football in the country. This is the view of former Bafana Bafana players Moneeb Josephs and Shaun Bartlett who attended the launch of the 10th year anniversary launch of the Investec Soccer League.
Twenty Soweto Schools will be competing for the first prize of R250 000.
In the past a lot of successful players who eventually turned professional were discovered during their school years. But the culture of playing football in schools has almost disappeared.
With many not currently playing regularly, some will never get an opportunity to be spotted by academies and various professional clubs in later years.
“As a country we can always have more programmes like this. We can always produce better players like we have so we should never at any point think that we are doing enough because that is the point where we think we are in a comfort zone and when we are in a comfort zone we don’t want to get better. So we must always think at the back of our minds how can we do better,” says Bartlett.
“They can aspire to be whatever they want to be in the future because I come from such a situation as well where not everything is rosy you know. But if you look a little bit further and you dream a little bit harder, and be disciplined that anything is achievable,” adds Josephs.
But the Investec Soccer League is more than a football tournament. It has already benefited previously disadvantaged schools in Soweto in the past 10 years.
Extra classrooms have been built, computer and science laboratories upgraded at various schools.
Investec Social Investment Setlogane Manchidi says, “The schools that are part of the league as it is are already part of our pro maths and science and we felt it was not fair to cater for maths and science students so let us build well rounded people and how best to do it go for the boys go for the man in the making a contribute towards development through sports.”
Despite the limited opportunities at their disposal the children will do everything to realise their dream of playing professional football.
“Professional level I want to reach it and play for Bafana Bafana. I want to see myself overseas like other players,” says a player.
This year’s total prize money has almost doubled, with schools that finish in the top four sharing R500 000.
The tournament runs from the month of May to September.
