After years of watching from the sidelines, and from their television sets, the men from Alice can proudly say, on the year marking their beloved institution’s centenary, that they too have marked a historic mile stone by being part of the elite intuitions that play in the Varsity Football competition.
“The road to Varsity Football came after years of planning and the painful process of taking the beating in the name of trying to secure a future for our players,” said Charles Hanyani, head coach for the UFH Varsity Football team.
The qualification came in rather amazing style. UFH went on a four-match winning streak, without losing, making the path to the semi-finals look easy. They then faced a tough challenge of facing University of Pretoria and the great streak was short-lived as they crashed out in an opportunity to play in the final.
“We knew it was never going to be easy, but small steps was the key for us heading into these USSA games. We knew that we had to be in the top eight and winning USSA is adding additional pressure on the boys,” added Hanyani.
With a young team that head coach Hanyani has been working on since 2012, the captain is sure to give the community a show not to forget.
“The team we have is solid,” said captain Siphamandla Zanakile. “We have been training together for a long time, we have built solid bonds, and it takes a lot to break us down. All we need is 12 points from our fixtures – that’s step one. From there watch the magic unfold.”
Fireworks are set for 18 July when UFH host their debut Varsity Football match against CUT at Davidson Stadium in Alice, which will also be broadcast live on SuperSport.
By Kgoboko Kgoboko
