It’s that time of the year when students can’t contain their excitement and are looking forward to braving the cold weather conditions just to watch a game of football. We are in the middle of winter, but hundreds of passionate Varsity Football fans will not care about that as the moment that they have been waiting for has finally arrived. Boys will be separated from men when the eagerly awaited sixth edition of Varsity Football finally kicks off at various stadiums across the country on Thursday.
Let me start the blog by welcoming Limpopo and UKZN to an unpredictable, exhilarating and entertaining sixth edition of the popular Varsity Football development programme. There were ululations and excitement during the lavish launch at Milpark few weeks ago.
The amount of people that attended the launch is a testament that this youth tournament is growing in leaps and bounds. It would be a big mistake if I started the blog without massive congratulations to one and truly Themba Ndlovu, the former TUT captain fantastic during last year’s competition, who signed a lucrative three-year deal with newly promoted Premier Soccer League Venda-based outfit Black Leopards. Well done boy, we are proud of you and we wish you everything of the best in your debut PSL season. We will be cheering for you, just go and fly the Varsity Football flag proudly.
Ndlovu is a product of Varsity Football and his rise to the PSL is a testament of what this development initiative is all about. We wish the young man well as he journeys to fulfil his ultimate dream of playing in the Premiership. Another notable mention is the lanky and ever-smiling Jomo Cosmos goalkeeper King Ndlovu, who represented the National First Division outfit during the PSL relegation play-offs mini league between Cosmos, Platinum Stars and Black Leopards.
Ndlovu flew the Varsity Football flag with aplomb with his brave performances between the sticks. The Varsity Football development continues to make a telling contribution to South African football. To this year’s ambassadors, please grab your chance of playing at this popular competition with both hands. You could be the next Themba Ndlovu leaving your dream at a top PSL team next season. One thing that we have learnt is that anything is possible when playing in this competition. There is a lot of media exposure as the matches are televised live and you never know who could be watching. This has the element of being an unpredictable competition for the first time in years.
While all eyes will be on Tshwane rivals TUT and Tuks, dark horses such as NWU, UJ and UKZN have the potential to pull off major upsets. Go to the stadium and stay glued to your TV set to see the drama unfold week in week out. Let the games begin as we are looking forward to seeing new stars being unearthed.
By Charles Baloyi – Daily Sun and Sunday Sun sports writer
