2018 Nedbank Grey College Soccer Tournament set to be a spectacular showcase of young SA soccer talent
September 2018 – The 29th of September sees another exciting installment of the Nedbank Grey College Soccer tournament get underway at the Windmill Park Fields at Grey College in Bloemfontein.
Over the past 13 years, this four-day festival of exciting youth soccer has become a highlight on the SA sporting calendar and the 2018 instalment of the tournament is stacking up to be the most thrilling yet.
Since its inception the Nedbank Grey Soccer Tournament has grown exponentially every year, and this 2018 edition will see teams representing no less than 24 schools from across the country, doing battle for the prestigious trophy and the bragging rights that deservedly come with it. The winning team will also earn its school a cheque for R25 000 from title sponsors, Nedbank Group, to be put towards soccer development. The Prize money has been split up this year, 1st prize R12500, 2nd R7500 and 3rd R5000.
According to Tutu Ntuli Nedbank Sponsorship Manager: Football Properties, such youth soccer development is the primary motivation behind the bank’s ongoing support of the tournament. He explains that the Grey College Soccer Tournament aligns perfectly with the bank’s purpose to use its financial expertise do good for individuals, families, businesses and communities.
“Nedbank supports a great many professional and amateur sporting events across various disciplines,” Ntuli explains, “but soccer is undoubtedly the sport that most stirs up the passion of the majority of South Africans, which makes it a key sponsorship focus through which we deliver on our commitment to develop our nation’s youth.”
He points out that Nedbank Grey College Soccer Tournament affords aspirant young soccer stars the unique opportunity to showcase their skills and nurture their talents in a competitive setting. “In many ways, the Nedbank Grey College Soccer Tournament is much like Nedbank’s Ke Yona Team Search initiative,” he explains, “which forms part of the highly successful Nedbank Cup every year, and also gives up and coming soccer hopefuls the opportunity to live their dreams and, even, earn a place in the South African and international professional soccer leagues.”
The growing appeal of the annual schools’ event amongst soccer talent scouts is testimony of this life-changing potential of the tournament, which is now viewed as one of the top under-18 schools’ soccer events in the country.
As in previous years, the 2018 Nedbank Grey College Soccer Tournament will culminate with the selection of a squad of top young performers from all participating teams that will be given the opportunity to train with specialist global coaches and travel overseas to gain valuable international exposure.
The steadily increasing popularity of the tournament, which Nedbank is sponsoring for the seventh consecutive year in 2018, has seen it evolve into a flagship sporting event for the city of Bloemfontein and expectations are high that, with Nedbank’s support, this year’s event will be the biggest and most exhilarating yet.
“Nedbank considers it a real privilege to be given the opportunity to support sports development in South Africa through our sponsorships of exceptional events like the Nedbank Grey College Soccer Tournament,” Ntuli concludes, “we recognise that our continued business success depends on a thriving, inclusive and socially sustainable communities, and we see partnerships like this one with Grey College as a unique way of helping to nurture such a society.”
