Tournament coordinator, Tsholofelo Bulala.
By: Refilwe Sebola
Sixteen international teams have officially confirmed their participation in the upcoming second edition of the Grannies International Football Tournament (GIFT), scheduled to take place in April next year at Nkowankowa Stadium.
The inaugural season of the tournament, held last year, marked a historic moment as it hosted Grannies football teams from various parts of the world for the first time in South Africa. The event attracted a large crowd of soccer enthusiasts who witnessed local Granny teams exhibit their football prowess against counterparts from European, American, and African nations. Notably, the USA emerged as the champions of the tournament.
This year, there has been a significant increase in the number of participating teams from the United States of America, with six teams set to compete, compared to the two teams that participated last year. Additionally, there will be five teams from France and two teams each from Brazil, England, and Russia. Furthermore, seven African teams from various countries, including Africa, Togo, Mauritius, Zambia, Zimbabwe, two from Mozambique, and Kenya, have also confirmed their participation.
Nkowankowa Stadium will serve as the primary venue for the games, while the group stage matches will be held in Giyani and Malamulele. Tsholofelo Bulala, the tournament coordinator, expressed optimism regarding the upcoming event, expecting it to surpass the previous season in terms of team participation and overall support. Bulala emphasized the anticipation of heightened backing from the local community, businesses, corporations, and the government for the event next year.
Bulala reflected on the initial scepticism surrounding the tournament’s announcement last year and noted the evolving perception of the event. Additionally, she conveyed gratitude to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Newsroom Africa TV, and radio for their coverage of the event.