adminSenior Sports Reporter
THE introduction of rewards for the girls has seen an increase in sponsorship for this year’s edition of the Ingwebu Breweries soccer tournament which involves schools from Matabeleland’s three provinces. Last year, Ingwebu promised to set aside a full sponsorship for the girls who were included in the tournament for the first time in its 2014 edition. Information provided by Ingwebu Breweries sales, marketing and corporate affairs manager Nkosana Prince Ndlovu last Friday show that the total amount budgeted for prizes is $34 975, up from $20 850 last year.
Ndlovu described the increase as a show of commitment by the brewery to support sport at grassroots level.
He urged the responsible authorities to come up with ways to trace the impact of the tournament in the advancement of soccer in the country by tracking players who had come through the competition.
Last year, the girls played as curtain raisers with tokens of appreciation being handed out to them. However, it will be all systems go for the girls teams as the winners of the grand final will walk away with $2 000, runners-up $1 500, with $1 000 to be handed out to the third placed team and $500 for the team in fourth place. Winners in the boys’ competition have a reward of $2 500, while runners-up will get $2 000, $1 500 for the second runners-up and $1 200 for the fourth placed school.
For the provincial finals, the champions will get $1 200, runners-up $1 000, third place $800 and $650 for fourth spot. In the girls category, $1 000 is up for grabs for the provincial winners, $800 for the losing finalists, $600 for the second runner-up while the team in fourth spot will get $400.
A grading system has been used for positions five to eight at the provincial finals. This will see $300 go to the fifth-placed boys team, $250 for sixth spot, $200 to the seventh spot and $150 to the school in eighth position. In the girls section, the prizes for position five to eight are $200, $150, $100 and $75 respectively.
“The money for prizes has increased from last year entirely because of the girls. We are trying to enhance the sponsorship by including the girl child, the parent community will also play their part by coming out to support their children. We are committed to the development of sport especially at this level, as an organisation we would like to see the education system develop an interest in sport by coming up ways of tracking players who have come through this tournament and are now playing at a higher level,’’ said Ndlovu.
Maphisa Growth Point in Kezi is the venue for the Matabeleland South finals set for 3 July, followed by the Bulawayo edition at White City Stadium on 10 July. Seven days later, the tournament moves to Nkayi to decide on the Matabeleland North winners. The grand finals for the boys and girls will take place in Maphisa on 31 July where Matabeleland South as the host province are going to provide two teams in each category.
Robert Tredgold from Bulawayo won last year’s boys final with a 2-1 victory over Malunku in Jotsholo where another Bulawayo school Gampu took the honours in the inaugural girls section.
Schools from Bulawayo, Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North take part in the tournament which started in 1994.
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