With a red card called against Ubuntu Cape Town moments before half-time, the club still succeeded in unseating defending champions Cape Town Spurs 1-0 at the Bayview u-16 Youth Cup final on Saturday 22 June.
With an expressive crowd of supporters lining the A-field, every kick and attempt at goal was met with a roaring response, making for an exciting final game of the tournament.
Mark Rodrigues, Bayview FC chair and tournament director says having won the inaugural cup in 2013, Ubuntu now keeps what was the floating Bayview U-16 Championship Cup, as a new cup will be introduced for the 12th edition of the competition next year.
The live-in academy, based in Capri in the deep south, aims to “mentor and educate the next generation of great African leaders, society-changers, and footballers”.
Ubuntu assistant coach, Chris Njokwana says this team hails from all over the Western Cape, with the addition of three boys from Port Elizabeth.
Having joined the club earlier this year, Njokwana says the team has been hard at work preparing for the youth cup.“We have been preparing since January and our main focus was for this tournament and it bears fruit,” he says. “These are young, young boys that have also been competing to play with the senior team. Playing this whole tournament without conceeding a goal, and playing some beautiful football.”
Njokwana continues that this competition targets boys at a great time in their young soccer careers.
READ MORE | All your Bayview U-16 Youth Cup news
“This tournament is also growing year by year and it’s actually going to compete with some of the best youth tournaments that’s happening in South Africa, if not Africa this tournament is really, really good. I’m not saying it because we won it, I’m saying it because of the quality of football that has been played.”
Ubuntu also had two top goal-scorers having scored five goals each and player of the tournament as part of the individual presentation.
Ubuntu beat out more than 70 teams to claim victory in the Platinum championship section. Their prize includes R15 000, a custom-made 20-man soccer kit to the value of R5 000 sponsored by JD Designs, the Bayview Cup and medals.
Runners-up, Cape Town Spurs received R6 500, a custom soccer kit, a trophy and medals.
- People’s Post, Tygerburger and City Vision are proud media partners to the event. Visit our social media pages for daily updates, fixtures, images and other digital content around the competition through out the week. Also read more here.
