adminEight schools are expected to take part in the tournament which will see Smile For Africa partnering World Vision, Kingdom Bank, Clarion Insurance and Queens and Kings Restaurant to sponsor the tournament.
Lazarus Banda, Smile For Africa sports director, said this was a pilot project and they were hoping to make it bigger next year.
“We came together with Nash to organise this tournament and we are hoping that with the coming years we are going to make it bigger,” he said.
He said they are still to sign a memorandum of understanding with Nash to sponsor the Under-15s annually.
“We hope that the tournament will be a permanent feature on the Nash soccer calendar. We are still to talk to Nash to make it an annual event,” he said.
Zonal winners from this year’s tournaments were selected to take part in the tournament.
Mzilikazi, Luveve, Sikhulile, Masotsha, Mandwandwe, St Bernards, Tennyson Hlabangana and Gifford High schools have been selected for the event.
Banda said the teams will be drawn into two pools of four teams each before the end of the week.
Initially the tournament had been schedule for tomorrow but has since been moved because the officials in the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture will be engaged elsewhere.
Smile for Africa director, Albert Mavunga, said there were a number of prizes to be won.
“There will be a shield and a soccer kit for the winners, medals for the runners up and soccer jerseys for individual awards. World Vision has also donated soccer balls,” he said.
Smile for Africa was founded in 2008 by Mavunga and the organisation was registered as a non-governmental organisation in Virginia, United States of America in 2009.
Since then the organisation has helped over 1 000 children in Africa through various events and programmes.
Smile for Africa has donated sports equipment, clothes, food and paid fees for orphans and vulnerable children.-The Chronincle
Bongani Moyo
Online Reporter