BA partners with Hopsol
The 26-member Black Africa Hopsol is be among 12 teams that will compete for the trophy at the Future Champions U-17 International Tournament in South Africa.
Namibia Premier League (NPL) outfit Black Africa and Hopsol have joined hands, in order to participate at the Future Champions U-17 International Tournament in Gauteng, South Africa from 18 to 24 March.
BA was extended an invitation to participate in the international tournament.
However, the local club does not have a youth academy and approached Hopsol to select players to participate as the Black Africa Hopsol team.
“Future Champions is one of the most sought-after tournaments in the world and it would be irresponsible, not to accept such a challenge. It would have been bad for our youth soccer development, if we did not grab this opportunity with both hands,” said Black Africa's Ranga Haikali.
He added that the team of 26 players will not travel to participate, but to compete. The final team will be announced at the end of the month.
Future Champions is one of the worlds most prestigious and elite under-17 club tournaments, featuring top teams from across the globe. It has been held in South Africa and Brazil since 2009.
The tournament is a vehicle to educate young players, allowing them to gain experience and exchange football cultures, in the real spirit of the game.
The championship was established during the build-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, held in South Africa, as a partnership between Rights Holder Global Sports International and the Gauteng Provincial Government.
Eight of the top clubs from North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa are invited to compete in this event, along with four South African teams. These 12 teams will battle it out for the title during the weeklong tournament.
Previous clubs that have participated include Manchester City, DC United, Everton, FC Barcelona, Paris St Germain, Shandong Luneng and Atletico Mineiro.
Apart from partnering with BA, Hopsol also announced that they have extended their league to the Erongo Region, bringing the number of participating players to 2 000.
“It is with tremendous pride that we announce the launch of the league, which will be played in the coast,” said Collin Benjamin.
“After the success of the 2017 season, it was a big challenge for us to do better and to improve. We doubled the players registered, from just over 800 players to 1 400. Now we have four more schools and two academies and we are adding more players at the coast,” he said.
In Khomas, the league has 20 institutions taking part in the U-9 to the U-19 leagues, while seven clubs participate in the coastal league.
Hopsol has also added a U-19 age group, as well as a team from Rehoboth, following a request by clubs and schools to allow more players to compete.
“We also changed the modus operandi of the league format in the older age groups, to have more exciting competitions until the end of the league.
The older groups will be decided via playoffs,” said Benjamin.
Hopsol owner Robert Hopperdietzel said there is no doubt the partnership with BA will work out successfully, and that they are moving in the right direction, with a professional approach.
The Khomas league will kick off on Friday at 14:30 at the SKW Sport Field in Olympia and the coastal league will start on 7 April.
LIMBA MUPETAMI
BA was extended an invitation to participate in the international tournament.
However, the local club does not have a youth academy and approached Hopsol to select players to participate as the Black Africa Hopsol team.
“Future Champions is one of the most sought-after tournaments in the world and it would be irresponsible, not to accept such a challenge. It would have been bad for our youth soccer development, if we did not grab this opportunity with both hands,” said Black Africa's Ranga Haikali.
He added that the team of 26 players will not travel to participate, but to compete. The final team will be announced at the end of the month.
Future Champions is one of the worlds most prestigious and elite under-17 club tournaments, featuring top teams from across the globe. It has been held in South Africa and Brazil since 2009.
The tournament is a vehicle to educate young players, allowing them to gain experience and exchange football cultures, in the real spirit of the game.
The championship was established during the build-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, held in South Africa, as a partnership between Rights Holder Global Sports International and the Gauteng Provincial Government.
Eight of the top clubs from North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa are invited to compete in this event, along with four South African teams. These 12 teams will battle it out for the title during the weeklong tournament.
Previous clubs that have participated include Manchester City, DC United, Everton, FC Barcelona, Paris St Germain, Shandong Luneng and Atletico Mineiro.
Apart from partnering with BA, Hopsol also announced that they have extended their league to the Erongo Region, bringing the number of participating players to 2 000.
“It is with tremendous pride that we announce the launch of the league, which will be played in the coast,” said Collin Benjamin.
“After the success of the 2017 season, it was a big challenge for us to do better and to improve. We doubled the players registered, from just over 800 players to 1 400. Now we have four more schools and two academies and we are adding more players at the coast,” he said.
In Khomas, the league has 20 institutions taking part in the U-9 to the U-19 leagues, while seven clubs participate in the coastal league.
Hopsol has also added a U-19 age group, as well as a team from Rehoboth, following a request by clubs and schools to allow more players to compete.
“We also changed the modus operandi of the league format in the older age groups, to have more exciting competitions until the end of the league.
The older groups will be decided via playoffs,” said Benjamin.
Hopsol owner Robert Hopperdietzel said there is no doubt the partnership with BA will work out successfully, and that they are moving in the right direction, with a professional approach.
The Khomas league will kick off on Friday at 14:30 at the SKW Sport Field in Olympia and the coastal league will start on 7 April.
LIMBA MUPETAMI
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