COPA Coca-Cola u15 Tournament heads to Western Cape

The COPA Coca-Cola U15 tournament makes an exciting return this coming Saturday, 28 July as Western Cape hosts it’s COPA Coca-Cola Provincial Play Offs at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Belville.
 

The 2018 edition of the global U15 School’s tournament kicked off last month in the Eastern Cape where Malcomess Secondary School secured a spot in the Provincial Finals while Ikeleletso Technical High School became the second school to book their place in the finals after emerging as Northern Cape winners.

With the Western Cape being the next stop for the school’s tournament, the five confirmed schools from the various Western Cape regions are Bastiaanse Secondary School, Louwville Secondary School, Kuyakhanya Primary School, Indwe Primary School and Lukhanyo Primary School in what promises to be a fun-filled day of youth football in Belville. 

“We believe COPA Coca-Cola is an essential platform for players to reach their full potential. The tournament creates an environment where talent, seeks to instil important values of teamwork and sportsmanship amongst youngsters,” shares Coca-Cola’s Sponsorship Manager, Puso Makume.

While the ultimate goal will be securing a place in the COPA Coca-Cola National Finals set to take place in Port Elizabeth between 26 and 29 September, players can also look forward to this year’s life-changing scouting initiative, the COPA Coca-Cola Future Stars Search which is led by tournament ambassador and former Bafana Bafana player, Jabu “Shuffle” Mahlangu. 

The COPA Coca-Cola Future Stars Search will see Mahlangu alongside a panel of scouting experts identifying the best performing players from each COPA Coca-Cola Provincial Play Offs selected to form part of the COPA Coca-Cola Future Stars Camp which will be held later this year at the High-Performance Centre in Pretoria. 

The training camp will see the selected squad being exposed to the latest football training methods by highly qualified sporting experts while playing a series of friendlies against other junior academy clubs from various Premier Soccer League clubs. 

“We have witnessed some incredible talent in the last two COPA Coca-Cola Provincial Play Offs and I have no doubt that Western Cape will be just as exciting. I am even more excited about the talent that has been on display as that gives us a wider variety to choose from for the COPA Coca-Cola Future Stars Camp.

We urge parents, family and friends to come out in their numbers and be a part of this exciting initiative by Coca-Cola” said Mahlangu. 

“We have been to two provinces so far and we have enjoyed some amazing football from these budding footballers. Coca-Cola is proud to be playing its part in such a unique and impactful tournament that has over the years unearthed talent and also teaching youngsters the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship. We urge the community to continue rallying behind their school’s through the COPA Coca-Cola tournament” added Makume. 

Notable COPA Coca-Cola tournament graduates include Bafana Bafana players such as Andile Jali, Happy Jele, Mandla Masango and SA U20 captain, Khulekani Kubheka who has been to the FIFA U17 and U20 World Cup after being identified from the COPA Coca-Cola tournament. 

With over 1.3 million teenagers from more than 60 countries taking part, COPA Coca-Cola is recognised globally as the leading grassroots football programme in the world.

Youngsters and football supporters are urged to support their teams or follow the action on social media using #COPACocaCola for news updates and results.

COPA Coca-Cola Provincial Play Off Dates: 

DATE:

28 July

Western Cape: Cape Peninsula University of Technology

4 August

Gauteng: Moletsane Sports Complex

11 August
North West: Ikageng Stadium

18 August

KwaZulu-Natal: King Zwelithini Stadium

25 August

Free State: Bohlokong Stadium

1 September

Limpopo: Malamulele Stadium

8 September

Mpumalanga: Lynville Stadium

26–29 September

Eastern Cape: Wolfson Stadium (Port Elizabeth)