Tsholofelo Bulala — Founder & Coordinator of the Giyani Youth Premier League.
By Refilwe Sebola
The Giyani Youth Premier League is heading towards an exciting finish, with the first round set to conclude next week as young footballers across three age groups battle for top honours.
Founded and coordinated by Tsholofelo Bulala, the league has brought together 48 teams from the Giyani area, competing in the Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 divisions.
Each age group has 16 teams, with the teams divided into two streams of eight.
This means the Giyani Youth Premier League has two streams in each age group, creating a competitive structure that gives young players regular football while keeping the race for the championship alive.
The first round will conclude next week, before the second round gets underway in September and runs through October.
The season will reach its climax with the much-anticipated play-offs on 9 and 10 October.
The format will see the winners of the two streams in each age group face each other to determine the overall champions.
The Stream A and Stream B winners in the Under-13 division will meet to decide the overall Under-13 champions. The same format will be followed in the Under-15 and Under-17 divisions.
The league is sponsored by Kulungwana Accountant, whose support has contributed to the growth of youth football in Giyani.
There are also attractive prizes at stake in each division.
The champions will receive a soccer kit, trophy and gold medals.
The runners-up will receive silver medals and two soccer balls, while the third-placed team will walk away with bronze medals and a soccer ball.
With 16 teams in each age group, the competition provides a platform for 48 teams and a large pool of young players to gain valuable competitive experience.
For founder and coordinator Tsholofelo Bulala, the league is about more than just winning trophies. She says the competition provides young people with an opportunity to play structured junior football, stay off the streets and learn important life lessons through sport.
Bulala also believes the league can serve as a stepping stone for talented youngsters who want to progress to higher levels of the game, including the DStv Diski Challenge (DDC).
She says the ultimate goal is to give young players an opportunity to develop, thrive and build successful sporting careers.
With the first round almost complete, attention will soon turn to the second round and the race for the play-offs.
The destination is already known — 9 and 10 October.