St. Marks Academy School from Mpumalanga clinched the Kay Motsepe Schools Football Championship National U-19 boys final at Giant Stadium in Soshanguve this past weekend. The championship once again delivered excitement while showcasing some of SA’s brightest young football talent in one of the country’s leading developmental tournaments.
The Kay Motsepe Schools Championship remains one of South Africa’s most lucrative school football tournaments, offering over R11 Million in prize money dedicated to schools legacy projects. These funds support the improvement of school facilities, the provision of equipment, learning materials and other essential resources.
The national finals offered an impressive prize pool rewarding excellence across all divisions. The U-19 boys champions walked away with R3 Million, while the runners-up secured R700 000, third place earned R600 000 and fourth place took home R500 000. In the U-13 boys’ and girls’ division, the champions each received R1 Million, with second, third and fourth places awarded R400 000, R300 000 and R200 000, respectively.
The four-day tournament ended in a thrilling final where St’ Marks Academy beat Gauteng’s Fumana Secondary School 1-0 to claim the national title.
St. Marks’ coach Lungile Mokone expressed pride in his team’s success and said this will help their school. “We are very happy to have won the tournament, this has been a dream of ours for the past five years. At the start of the year, we set our sights on winning the Kay Motsepe Schools Championship as it is by far the best schools football tournament in the country. Our preparations started at the beginning of the year when the schools opened, and we are overjoyed to see the hard work pay off.
In the under-13 division , Queenswood Laerskool from Gauteng claimed the boys’ title, while St Anne’s Primary School from the Free State triumphed in the girls’ final. Queenswood defeated Madika Primary School from Limpopo 5-0, while St Anne’s edged St Marks Academy 5-4 on penalties.
Coach Kadi Monyane of St Anne’s Primary expressed pride in the team’s achievement, noting the short time she has been at the school. “We are very happy and this shows the hard work we have been putting in,” Monyane said.
“This is just the beginning, and we aim to do more in the future. I have been in this school for only four months and took it upon myself to ensure that the build up towards this tournament was excellent. Preparation is everything, and the girls made me proud today.”
Department of Basic Education Deputy Director of Sports and Enrichment, Bongani Zondi, congratulated all the participating schools.
“All finalists are winners in our eyes. Congratulations to those who took home prize money and accolades,” Zondi said.
“This competition is crucial for the upliftment of schools and communities across South Africa. As a department, we are proud to partner with the Motsepe Foundation and Sanlam to deliver a program of this scale.”
“Sanlam’s promise is to help generations of African’s to Live With Confidence, and we recognise the vital role that sports play in fulfilling this promise. Congratulations to all the teams that participated, and a heartfelt thank you to the coaches, teachers, and everyone involved in ensuring that young people in our communities can live out their purpose while contributing to the development of their schools through the prize money.”
Launched in 2004 under the auspices of the Department of Basic Education, the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture and the South African Football Association the prestigious tournament celebrated its 21st anniversary this year. Originally a U/19 competition and, it expanded in 2023 to include U/13 Boys and Girls. This year’s event saw over 12 502 schools participating nationwide.
Reflecting on the tournament’s legacy, Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Co-Founder and CEO of Motsepe Foundation, said: “At the Motsepe Foundation we recognise sports, arts and culture as levers for economic development and shared prosperity. The over R11 million sponsored prize money aims to empower youth, boys and girls, to become agents of change in their communities. Through the facilities and resources provided to participating schools, the Kay Motsepe Schools Football Championship stands as proof that development and sport can go hand in hand in a meaningful and lasting way.”
To stay up to date with any further announcements, South Africans are encouraged to check the official brand website and social media pages:
Facebook: Kay Motsepe Schools Championship
Instagram: @kaymotsepeschoolschampionship
Hashtag: #SanlamSports #KayMotsepeSchoolChampionship
SUPPLIED.
