We are a proud nation when it comes to our sporting efforts.
When the Springboks or the Proteas do us proud, we celebrate their achievements for months.
South Africans are serious about their football as well.
Enter DJ Dinho along with two local footballing greats in Terrence Mashego and Grant Kekana who together have decided to launch a football tournament aimed at inspiring undiscovered talents to keep at it.
“As people who have relations with Mamelodi and who are doing well in their respective fields we decided to collaborate and bring back life in Mamelodi, it was always renowned for its talent and we want to bring that aspect back,” Grant explains.
The idea for the Mamelodi Festive Tournament is simple enough. Teams have signed up on a first come first served basis for what is to be a knockout based competition which will see teams from the east and west sides of Mamelodi duke it out for the tittle.
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“Obviously, funding was a big issue but also getting the teams to commit as well as we know December is family time and people are in festive mode. I think it will benefit the sport by unleashing the talent and we’re hoping to run a successful tournament so we get more people involved going forward who could be scouts from other teams,” the 31-year-old Sundowns defender says.
Grant believes a lot more can be done to see footballing talents reaching the heights expected of them, like coaching clinics and football clinics to help local coaches and players improve their game.
“The authenticity of the local game is something I enjoy; we are unique in the way we do things. We can improve a lot by also adapting our style to the way the game is being played at the moment, so we aren’t left behind because the game of football is always evolving.”
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For this idea to work, the backing of a few active professionals was needed and so another Mamelodi Sundowns defender Terrence Mashego was more than ready to throw his support behind this tournament.
“We definitely want to turn this one into an annual tournament and this is the launch so yes, going forward we are hoping to make it as big as possible."
Getting involved was an easy decision for the 28-year-old pro. “It’s simple because of the personal interest we both share in football and the professional background we both have with the sport, and we thought of a tournament to bring people together who share the same interests. But the aim is to give back to the community and revive local football.”
Beyond unearthing new talents, the tournament is also underpinned by a charitable initiative.
“It’s a charity event that aims to help and grow the community of Mamelodi by providing opportunity to the up-and-coming soccer players and empowering the community through job creation. There are 16 teams battling for prize money of R75 000 for the winners and R35 000 for the runners up then R10 000 for third and fourth place. There are also individual prizes for top goal scorer and goalkeeper of the tournament," he elaborates.
The tournament will provide an opportunity for young players as they plan to invite coaches and scouts from different teams, “so we’re hoping to produce as least one or more players”.
Terrence believes that the Department of Sports, Art and Culture should invest more into school sports and assist local coaches with badges and licensing.
“The number of tournaments is improving and rapidly growing as we’ve witnessed most of them being televised which is a great spotlight for players, but if there’s one area I would love to see improve in, it would be community engagement especially local businesses, they should support and invest more into this idea.”
DJ Dinho may ply his trade with beats and rhythms but football has always had a strong hold over him.
“I’ve been a soccer fan my whole life. I hope that more than the sport itself, this can help uplift people in our community who want to grow into football stars. There are a lot of little stars and people with potential in our community who don’t have a platform to show their talent off. I hope this will help them be recognized,” the DJ says.
There are plans to see this idea grow further in the years to come, " I can’t share much. I want it all to be a surprise. So stay tuned," Dinho urges.
The Mamelodi Festive Tournament will take place from 18 December to the 28th in Mamelodi.
