All to play for in Cradock

IT’S all systems go for the exciting Cradock Soccer Easter Tournament which kicks off today at the Luxolweni Stadium.

The much-anticipated tournament, funded by the Isolezemidlalo Ekaladokwe and organised by Cradock Football Association (CFA), is set to host 24 teams from around the country.

CFA spokesperson Kuhle September said they expected the games to continue for four days and they were well prepared for anything that might threaten the success of the tournament.

“We starting today and we planning to finish on Monday and we are also planning to control the crowd by charging an entry fee at the gates.

“We’ll charge R7 for adults and it’s only R3 for kids and if you want to bring your car into the stadium you have to pay R10,” said September.

The clubs have paid an affiliation fee of R2 343.75 and the first prize of the tournament is R31 250. Second prize will be R15 625 and the third prize will be R7 812.

“We’ll also have prizes for the fourth placed team which is R4 687 and fifth placed to number eight will get R937 for their work.

“We’d like to thank Mbulelo Ntshangase for sponsoring this tournament. He’s a very busy man as he’s running a big retail store in Johannesburg.

“But he still found the time to speak to us and help us motivate our people.”

September said the association expected teams to come from as far as Gauteng and Cape Town and even from the small farms around the Karoo to grace the tournament as they have already affiliated.

He said they expected the teams to practice maximum discipline and sportsmanship.

“The clubs were told to arrive on time to their games because we have a schedule to keep up with. And we stressed to them their players should wear safety gears like shinguards to avoid unnecessary injuries.”