Prepare for Kwa Mahlobo Games

Community soccer tournaments are standard festive season fare, and teams are urged to sign up for the Kwa Mahlobo Games.
IT is the festive season and a time for people to take a break from work; for those not going away but rather staying in Joburg there is some top soccer entertainment on the cards at the annual Kwa Mahlobo Games.

MEC Lebogand Maile launch the festive season community gamesMEC Lebohang Maile launches the festive season community gamesIt and other community tournaments have been taking place during the December and January holidays for years. In the early days there was no sponsorship, but today a variety of sponsors is involved.

Most of these community tournaments have grown, from the days of dusty grounds to green pitches. But the festive mood, the colourful umbrellas, camping chairs and cooler bags are here to stay.

For most people, the matches provide free entertainment, but they are also an opportunity for talent scouts. Many of the country’s celebrated players, including Reneilwe Letsolonyane, Teko Modise, Benedict Vilakazi, Excellent Walaza and Scara Ngobese, were discovered at such games.

The Gauteng MEC for sport, arts, culture and recreation, Lebohang Maile, said: “The games have also become an affirmation that in order for us to enhance our competitive edge, we must start at the beginning of where development is concerned, and that is to focus on our communities.”

Maile was speaking at a ceremony to hand over sports equipment to various organisations at Ellis Park Stadium on 8 December. More than 20 organisations received balls, medals, trophies, referees’ kits and banners to brand their stadiums. Kwa Mahlobo was one of the recipients.

The Kwa Mahlobo Games will begin on 24 December at the Kwa Mahlobo Sports Ground in Zone 10, Meadowlands, in Soweto. Teams are encouraged to sign up to compete. Registration closes two days before kickoff. Already 17 teams have signed up, which means there is still room for 23 other teams.

Some of the prizes to be wonSome of the prizes to be wonThe current champions, Dobsonville 11, and the runners up, Black Poison, have already registered.

Prizes
The teams will again try their luck in taking home the prize – R30 000 in prize money, three soccer kits, 25 gold medals and a gold trophy are at stake for the winning team. Runners up will get R10 000, three soccer kits, 25 silver medals and a silver trophy, while those in third and fourth place will each bag R1 000, two soccer kits and a trophy.

Player of the tournament, goal keeper of the tournament and top goal scorer of the tournament will each receive R1 000, a trophy, soccer boots and PlayStation 3. Supporters will also have opportunities to win PlayStations.

This year, the Kwa Mahlobo Games is sponsored by Strepsil, the pharmaceutical group. The tournament runs until 9 January 2012.

More than 25 000 spectators watched the games in 2010. Some 40 teams participated, more than 294 goals were scored – three own goals and more than 36 penalties goals. Over 274 yellow cards were shown and 14 red cards.

For more information about the games, contact the tournament’s public relation officers, Dlongolo Ntenjwa on 083 5953 924 or Fats Nhlapo on 082 254 7601.