5 April 2018 – Renowned veteran match official, Sylvester Ndaba, has commended the South African Breweries’ partnership with the South African Football Association (SAFA) for empowering SAB League match officials.
Through the SAB League, SAB and SAFA are working closely together in a week-long course currently taking place at the University of Pretoria’s High-Performance Centre for the league’s match officials which will see them obtaining a Level 4 refereeing qualification.
Speaking at a media event earlier this week, Ndaba who is one of the country’s most respected officials lauded the efforts of sponsors SAB for going the extra mile in their holistic approach to football development at grassroots level.
“Amongst the many initiatives hosted by SAB in partnership with SAFA, it is refreshing to have a program that focuses on the development of match officials. One of our former graduates is Akhona Makalima who started officiating in the SAB League after she had undergone a program similar to this” said Ndaba.
Makalima (30), who has earned her respect as the first female referee to officiate a PSL fixture is amongst the aspiring whistle-blowers at the course where she shares her experiences and knowledge gained officiating in tough PSL encounters.
“These young men and women here are already set-up for success with the influence of the SAB League. It is also great that SAB and SAFA develops coaches, players and even match officials. This will continue to benefit our football at top level in the long run” says Makalima.
The SAB League remains to be the largest grassroots football development in the country, boasting close to 30 000 youngsters playing football on a weekly basis.