Rehoboth
The usually laid back town of Rehoboth in the Hardap region will be a hive of activity when the annual Inter Regional Senior Schools Football Challenge gets underway in earnest on July 1.
The three-day tourney will be played under the theme, “Sports is Life, We are a Healthy Nation.” Lack of proper promotion and financial assistance towards football at grassroots level has necessitated the establishment of the annual Inter Regional Senior Schools Football Challenge.
Football starts at school level and by grooming upcoming footballers the project hopes to cater for clubs campaigning in the various leagues and subsequently at national level in different age groups.
According to the event’s project coordinator Rhonie ||Garoëb, the majority of young footballers in both the //Karas and Hardap regions are highly gifted and skillful but have for some strange reason been overlooked by national talent scouts as a result of the absence of proper structures in schools football, insufficient funds and lack of manpower.
In an effort to raise funds, organizers of the annual Senior Schools Football Tournament will stage an event in Keetmanshoop this weekend.
“The ultimate aim of the competition is to bring awareness about the need for schools football and we hope this annual gathering will grow in leaps and bounds, provided we enjoy the much needed cooperation of schools in the Hardap and //Karas regions, including the corporate world,” said //Garoeb.
Garoeb further stated that the mission is to raise funds and encourage the youth to refrain from drug and alcohol abuse and to promote young talent to the next level.
It also seeks to nurture and encourage community awareness and participation by providing high quality football.
All schools are invited to enter teams in the Under-17 and 19’s mixed age groups. Only active schoolboys will be allowed and each team must register 20 players, while teams fielding ineligible players will be summarily disqualified.
An original identity card or birth certificate must be provided to the organizers to avoid age cheating. No copied certified documents will be accepted, while all documents should be scanned and mailed to rhuuks7946@gmail.com with properly designed team returns to allow event organizers making arrangements for accommodation. Registration is free.