15 May 2023 – The South African Football Association provincial teams are on track with their selections and preparations for the upcoming U15 Talent Development Scheme Interprovincial Tournament scheduled for 8 July 2023.
A few provinces have already selected their provincial squads, while the others will be selecting over the next few weeks.
SAFA Head of scouting David Nyathi has been attending the provincial trials and is happy with the progress made by some of the provinces.
“These are exciting times for youth football, and I am happy with what the provinces are doing ahead of the U15 TDS Interprovincial tournament,” said Nyathi.
“I was in the Western Cape this weekend where trials were held and a team was selected. They are truly going to be a side to beat at the tournament. The Northern Cape and KwaZulu Natal have also concluded their selections and will also be looking to bring some of their best talent to the scheduled tournament.”
Mpumalanga and the North West will have their selections on 20 May 2023, while Limpopo will have theirs on 22 May 2023. The Free State will select their provincial team on 27 May 2023, and finally Gauteng on 28 May 2023.
The provincial teams will then have final camps before the draw of the tournament is conducted and invited academies are announced in mid-June.
SAFA Technical Director spoke to www.www.safa.net about the pilot program which will take place on 8 July 2023 and expressed his excitement about the TDS U15 Interprovincial Tournament.
“We are looking forward to this tournament as it has been a while since we hosted such, especially at under-15 level. We will be hosting an 16-team interprovincial tournament, where we will host nine provincial teams and have invited nine academies from around the country,” said Steenbok.
“We have objectives with the tournament. The first is to implement the SAFA Technical strategic plan of developing elite players through a structured scouting plan in line with the Talent Development. We aim to ensure that the best play against the best to increase competitiveness and to identify our first batch of the U15 National Team.
“The U15 tournament addresses challenges experienced by the junior national teams and set the tone to have a better performance at the U17 AFCON, where the lessons were learnt in technical and tactical preparations, game management and technical leadership in crucial moments.”
So again the main idea of the U15 TDS Interprovincial is to identify a national team that we can build on for 2025.
