The eagerly anticipated Kay Motsepe Schools Cup will kick off on July 29, with Kanyamazane Stadium in Mpumalanga hosting the first round of provincial matches.

The ultimate goal that schools around the country will be fighting it out for is the majestic trophy and R1 Million prize money that was claimed by Clapham High School, who have now won the competition back to back in two different years.

The Kay Motsepe Schools Football Cup has been in existence for the past 10 years and is regarded as having the largest prize money in the world for school’s football; with the winning school receiving R1 million from a total annual prize money of R3.4 million.  The runners up receive a prize money of R600 000 while the third placed finishers receive R500 000. The fourth placed finishers are guaranteed R400 000 in prize money.

The schools that win the competition in each of the nine provinces of South Africa receive prize money of R100 000 each.

The National Championships are scheduled to take place in KwaZulu-Natal between 3-7 October.

Schools that have made it to the provincial championships, with well over 25 000 invited from around the country, will meet in provincial events that will be played in Mokopane in the Limpopo Province, Boksburg in Gauteng, Mahikeng in the North West Province, Kuruman in the Northern Cape and Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal.

The last provincial meets will be in Cape Town in the weekend of 15-16 September.

For youngsters that will take place in the football extravaganza, the biggest goal is to emulate Kay Motsepe alumnus such as Mamelodi Sundowns star Percy Tau, Jabulani Shongwe and Phakamani Mahlambi, who is a PSL champion with Bidvest Wits, as well as Sundowns Multi Choice Diski Challenge winners Keletso Makgalwa and Motjeka Madisha.

All the players have at one stage graduated to national teams, with Tau making and scoring on his Bafana Bafana debut. Makgalwa is currently in South Korea, where he is representing South Africa in the U20 World Cup with Thabo Senong’s team.

The success stories also give hope as this will positively contribute to the brilliant SAFA Vision 2022 program that seeks to unearth quality players who will star for the country at the next FIFA World Cups.

Clapham head into the tournament as firm favourites after winning the competition three times in the last five years.

They will face stiff competition Rosina Sedibane, who are past Champions, and Harmony High School, who are last year’s runner ups.

Tshwane based Clapham claimed the crown in 2013, before winning it in 2015 and in the last year, where they won against Harmony High School from Free State to claim the coveted title.

The tournament is also know to attract scouts from all over the country, with Junior national team coaches, as well as coaches of professional teams who are looking for raw talents to plan for the future.

 

DATE PROVINCE AREA VENUE
29th July 2017 Mpumalanga Mbombela Kanyamazane Stadium
5th August 2017 Gauteng Boksburg Reiger Park Stadiun
12th August 2017 Limpopo Mokopane Mahwelereng Stadium
9th August 2017 Free State Welkom Bronville Stadium
19th August 2017 North West Mafikeng N.W. University
25/26 August 2017 N. Cape Kuruman Kalahari H School
2nd September 2017 KZN New Castle Arbour Park
15/16 September 2017 W. Cape Mossel Bay/Cape Town Van Riebeek Moss gas/UWC