Castle 5 aside

BRIAN BALOYI TO MENTOR CASTLE AFRICA 5s TEAM!

South Africa’s CASTLE AFRICA 5s Ambassador;Brian Baloyi during the 2017 Castle Lager Best Brew League

 Veteran goalkeeper, Brian Baloyi has been announced as the South African ambassador for Africa’s largest amateur five-a-side football tournament CASTLE AFRICA 5s.

Baloyi joins five of Africa’s most celebrated football players, who enjoyed equally fruitful careers in Lehlohonolo Seema (Lesotho), Tinashe Nengomasha (Zimbabwe), Christopher Katongo (Zambia), Siza Dlamini (Swaziland) and Ivo Mapunda (Tanzania) . Their role as CASTLE AFRICA 5s ambassadors is to mentor the winning teams from their respective countries ahead of the continental Finals in Zambia. Winners of the continental showpiece will walk away with an all-expenses paid trip to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. .

Brian Baloyi or “Spiderman” as he was affectionately referred to by fans plied his trade for Soweto Giants, Kaizer Chiefs for over a decade before joining Mamelodi Sundowns where he retired in 2010. Baloyi has also represented the South African national teams at u20, u23 and senior level.

An excited Baloyi had this to say about the tournament: “I am very passionate about football; it is a sport that I have enjoyed throughout my life. I have also learnt important life lessons on the field of play and have made lifetime friendships with people I met during my playing days. Five-a-side football is a great way to bond with those closest to you, but, also opens up for great opportunities to create friendship bonds outside of your inner circle. The CASTLE AFRICA 5s tournament will give football fans a great opportunity to widen their friendships across borders. I am delighted to be a part of that!” concluded Baloyi.

Castle Lager Brand Director, Vaughn Croeser “Brian is the perfect fit for an ambassador in South Africa. He is one of the country’s most loved footballing figures and is still directly involved in the sport as a coach. This makes him a great mentor for the teams and we are looking forward to working with him.” Said Croeser.

The finals of the fast-paced football contest will be played from Wednesday, 4 April 2018 to Saturday, 7 April 2018 at the Rand Show in Johannesburg. For over a century, the Rand Show has been a favourite family holiday destination and the introduction of the CASTLE AFRICA 5s adds yet another exciting element to their line-up. The tournament will provide friends and families with an opportunity to cheer on their favourite teams whilst enjoying the festive atmosphere of the Rand Show.

South Africans still stand a chance of winning the overall five-a-side tournament by competing in one of six qualifying tournaments being held in the run-up to this year’s Rand Show. Entry to the qualifiers costs R1 000.00 per five-a-side team with prize money of R5 000.00 up for grabs at each qualifier.

The continental finals will play from the 24th to 28^th of May 2018 in Lusaka, Zambia where the winning teams from each of the six countries will compete for the ultimate prize of being hosted by football legend, Samuel Eto’o at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.