adminKusile Madlela Sports Reporter
THE National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash) Matabeleland South Under-17 Arenel Soccer provincial play-offs will be held at Mzingwane High in Esigodini on July 10.
The Nash provincial head in charge of football, Paulos Ncube said schools from eight districts will battle for the single available ticket to represent Matabeleland South in the national finals to be held in Harare from July 31-August 2.
“Schools are still competing in the preliminaries to secure a place in the play-offs. We will have a full list of the schools that qualify for the play-offs in due course. The play-offs produce one team that will represent the province at the national competition in Harare,” said Ncube.
He said the tournament provided a platform for the schoolboys to showcase their talent at a national level as well as to get exposure for possible opportunities in football.
“The tournament covers the whole country, including schools in the rural areas.
“Some exceptional talent has been unearthed through this annual tournament and some children even turn professional,” he said.
Albert Mucheka, the Nash head in charge of football nationally, said the Arenel sponsorship would help them run the tournament smoothly.
Arenel unveiled a sponsorship package of $150,000 for the schools tournament to be shared by the provinces to fund all logistics involved in running the competition.
Mucheka said the nine schools that qualify for the national competition will each receive a full kit.
Online Reporter
Londile Moyo