Image: Tarren Saunders

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has applauded the “great football on display” and the professional organization of the Bayhill Premier Cup, which took place in Cape Town on Easter Weekend.

 SAFA Head of Scouting David Nyathi praised the organizers of the annual Bayhill tournament for their professionalism and how the competition was run.

The Bayhill tournament was hosted from 3- 9 April 2023, when 32 teams from across the country and from Namibia displayed some exceptional football. It was eventually won by Grassy Park United.

 “We as the Football Association are happy to see these great development tournaments taking place annually and believe that such events assist in developing our national team players,” the former Cape Town Spurs star said. “I believe that the quality of football we saw last week reminds us of the talent we have at our disposal as a country and that if we nurture this talent correctly, we can go very far in world football.”

 The Bafana Bafana legend noted that it was evident that there was a gap between the professional clubs and less advantaged clubs. “We saw some great football on display and a huge gap between professional academies and the less advantaged clubs that also participated in the tournament. However, seeing the different variations and tactical approaches to the tournament was great. These tournaments assist us as national team scouts because we can track identified players for the national teams.”

 The quality of football was so good that some players caught the eyes of the SAFA scouts. ‘’We managed to select three players from this tournament currently in the selection camp for our U17 National Men’s Team. This exposure shows that we as a department are working hard and always looking for new exciting talent,’’ Nyathie explained.

 Nyathi called on the organizers to treat women’s football like men’s in the country. “I believe these tournaments are great for football, but my plea with organizers and sponsors is to also put the same effort into growing the women’s game. It would be wonderful to see the next edition of Bayhill also having women’s teams in the tournament so that our football is on par with the international standards,’’ concluded Nyathi.

 This article was slightly modified from the one that appeared on SAFA.net.