Staff Reporter
Lüderitz-The inaugural edition of the Harders Cup was launched at Lüderitz on Friday, with more than 80 people packing the town’s Benguela Hall, all eager to witness the historic moment.
The Harders Cup, which is the brainchild of Tim Ekandjo, who also hails from Lüderitz, is slated for March and will see the town’s top six teams grilling each other for the grand prize in the one-weekend tournament.
The winning team will walk away with a whopping N$100,000, second place N$50,000 and third place N$20,000. All participating teams will get brand-new kit and N$5,000 just for participating in the tournament.
The tournament kicks off on Saturday, March 25, and the finals are expected to be played Sunday afternoon, March 26, at the popular Lüderitz soccer field.
It will be football and music all weekend for the town’s Buchters, as they will be treated to a music bash called the Harders Bash as part of the event. On the evening of Saturday, March 25, top local acts such as S-Man, DJ Alba and Gazza will grace the stage along with the in-demand Heavy K from South Africa to give Buchters the time of their life. Entrance to both the soccer tournament and music bash is free of charge.
Officially launching the event, Ekandjo explained that the emphasis of the annual event is not all about soccer and music at face value, but that the community of Lüderitz faces tremendous socio-economic challenges rooted mainly in a lack of sufficient economic activities.
“Young people are particularly prone to be negatively affected by this situation. Unemployment amongst the youth is very high, which leads to high levels of alcohol and other substance abuse. This event therefore gives them something to look forward to, to recognise and display their skills and realize their own dreams,” said Ekandjo.
The event is delivered at a total budget of N$695,000 of which N$420,000 has been secured so far. Ekandjo thanked the generous support of platinum sponsors Standard Bank, Tafel Lager and Namdeb/Debmarine, gold sponsor Seaflower and Profile Investments, and bronze sponsors Ricky Hameva Properties, Marco Fishing and Naftal Trading for believing in the concept, and encouraged more sponsors to come onboard.
The theme of the event is ‘Our Community, Our Pride’. Harder is the most commonly caught and consumed fish in Lüderitz and resonates perfectly with the community of Lüderitz. The finals might be broadcast live on NBC TV.