After being called to a halt because of the national strike, the Grahamstown High Schools Football Rhodes Tournament is set to resume. The tournament will be played in a group format, where six teams will be divided into two groups and the top two from each group will go through to the semi-finals.
After being called to a halt because of the national strike, the Grahamstown High Schools Football Rhodes Tournament is set to resume. The tournament will be played in a group format, where six teams will be divided into two groups and the top two from each group will go through to the semi-finals.
The the winners will then square off in the final on Heritage Day at King Field on Rhodes campus. The round robin matches and the semi finals will be played at the Rhodes Prospect Field.
It is the first time that the tournament will be contested and features the teams that contest the High Schools league: Mary Waters, Nombulelo High , Kulitso Daniels, Velile High School in Bathurst, TEM Mrwetyana and Samuel Ntsika.
The captains and coaches received their kits from the assistant manager of Sports Admin at Rhodes, Mandla Gagayi on Monday.
The teams were very happy with their new kits, but Gagayi implored them to keep them safe and use them at school only, not for club football.
The kits were given out according to the schools’ colours and they were different so that there is no colour clash at game time.
Gagayi also asked the coaches to produce player identification cards or identity books at the fixtures to prevent over age players.
He said that birth certificates will not be accepted. TEM Mrwetyana, who are the defending league champions, are regarded as the favourites and one of their players Sinethemba Moyikwa is equally bullish about their chances.
“We expect to win the tournament as we are the defending champions, but we are in a tough group with no easy games,” said Moyikwa.
However he is happy about participating in the tournament as it allows players who do not get a shoe in at the local leagues a chance to show what they’re made of.
