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Bayhill Premier Cup: Cape Town Spurs Are Back On Top!

By Joshua Hendricks  Images: 021 Footballers / April 19, 2022 21:05

The Bayhill Premier Cup came to a thundering conclusion, with Cape Town Spurs dominating the final match against Stellenbosch, taking home a slew of trophies – and reaffirming their reputation as a top football academy.

The Bayhill Premier Cup saw some incredible performances, but the biggest winners of the tournament had to be Cape Town Spurs, who not only downed Stellenbosch 2-0 in the final match, but also reaffirmed their reputation as a top football academy.

Spurs Coach Duncan Crowie got into the tactics that helped his team attain such success against a star-studded Stellies team. 

“What we did was we actually nullified the space behind our defence,” he said. “So any ball that was played over, the goalkeeper got it. You didn’t see those three runners. Throughout the tournament, those three runners were on everyone’s lips.”

This is to say that as a team they had to take up a slightly deeper position in order to decrease the space between the defence and the goalkeeper – meaning any ball played behind automatically needs to be of a perfect weight. 

 

The common trend of this Spurs team was that they seemed to score at the end of the first half or at the end of the second half. That wasn’t necessarily a tactic so much as a factor of Big Match Temperament.

“You see this is a young team, and when we play in front of a crowd like this it’s going to get to them,” said Crowie, who ought to know – he is the Head of Youth Football, after all. 

“As the game grew, they grew – so that’s most probably why.”

Young or not, they had an incredible tournament: in the end Cape Town Spurs walked away with the Roger Clayton trophy, and were named as the Team of the Series. Meanwhile, Player of the Series was won by their Holding Midfielder, Shuaib Martin, who wore jersey number 18, and Coach of the Series was won by Duncan Crowie. 

With that, Spurs have reaffirmed their position in football as an academy that doesn’t just win competitions, but continues to produce so many great football players from the Ajax Cape Town System (as they were formerly known). 

The overwhelming feeling as the Cup concluded was of elation and pride for a well-run tournament, as well as joy at getting to share it with supporters, as we celebrate the return to some semblance of normality in community football in South Africa.

 

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Mayambela Community Cup Reaches Boiling Point

By Myolisi Gophe / 17 April, 2022 20:30

The battle for this year’s coveted HollywoodBets Mayambela Community Cup Under 21 has come down to just four clubs: Reigning Khayelitsha Local Football Association (LFA) champions Goal Hunters; Nyanga-based Everton; and Helderberg LFA warriors Bazuka United and Myrmidon.

The tournament, named after local legends Mark and Mihlali Mayambela, has seen talented young footballers playing their hearts out in Khayelitsha since Friday, and nowhere was that more evident than in the last 16 and quarterfinals at Khayelitsha Stadium today (17 April).

Myrmidon, formerly Strand Hotspurs, beat Lokxion Stars from Stellenbosch 3-1; Hunters won 1-0 against Helderberg Rovers from Strand; Bazuka triumphed 1-0 over United Brothers of Langa; and Everton overcame Trinitarians from Uitsig in Elsies River 7-6 on penalties after the two sides were locked at 1-1 after regulation time.

The Hunters-Rovers match, which was played at the same time as the Myrmidon-Loxion encounter, was a scintillating, tightly-contested affair, which drew the attention of many supporters. 

Rovers created better scoring opportunities in the first stanza. Their number 11, Ayabulela Machasa, in particular, dazzled the Hunters defence from the left flank on a number of occasions but his side could not make those opportunities count.

They were left to rue the missed chances as Litshaba Phakathi scored a left-footed stunner from just outside the box midway through the second half to ensure the host LFA has a representative in the semis.

 

Hunters coach Anela Jerry Bota had this to say about the game. 

“The game was very tough – we played a number of games in a short space of time, and we were up against a very strong team. But we have done our homework in terms of training and fitness, and the boys fought hard and stuck to the game plan. I think that is what put us through.” 

It also helped to have something worth playing for – a tournament that is worth the effort.

“This tournament is very good for the community. The Mayambela Foundation and the Mayambela brothers did well by giving back to the community. In our townships that is very rare, and as a community we are very grateful. And also for the fact that there are scouts from professional clubs. The boys are motivated by that.” 

Hunters is going into the semifinals with a lot to prove – but they’re ready for it.

“To be the sole representative of Khayelitsha in the semifinals is pressure but I think we are up for the challenge because we know that teams from Khayelitsha that bite out of the tournament are supporting us. We will do our best not to let them down.”

Hunters will take on Myrmidon in the second semi-finals at 13h00 tomorrow (18 April) after Bazuka clash with Everton at 11h00. The winners will go on to compete for the ultimate pride and glory – and R30 000.

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Bayhill Premier Cup: Stellenbosch FC vs Hellenic FC

The up-tempo game between Stellenbosch and Hellenic was one of the highlights of the Bayhill Cup thus far, and drew one of the biggest crowds surrounding the D Field behind the stadium.

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Goals Galore as the Hollywoodbets Mayambela Community Cup Returns

By Joshua Hendricks/ April 15, 2022, 19:45pm

The return of the newly named Hollywoodbets Mayambela Community Cup on Easter Friday was a different experience filled with raw talent who played with a lot more freedom and expression.

Held at the Khayelitsha Stadium, you would find an awful lot of conventional wingers, something that is very rare in South Africa. Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi scouts were in attendance too, moving from the Bayhill Premier Cup to catch a glimpse of Kasi football in Cape Town.

And the tournament, named after the local heroes, Mark and Mihlali Mayambela, was not short of action as some of the promising under 21 footballers in the region showcased their talents.

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Among the many eye-catching encounters on Day One was the game between Goal Hunters in green and Site Sea United in blue, which was a very evenly matched tie. A bit of a basketball match, to put it precisely. Even though Hunters walked away with maximum points, the score line is not an actual reflection of the end-to-end action that was on display. Eventually, Hunters won the match with a 2-0 full time scoreline.

One of the key players in the first eleven was their towering centre back Shaun Botile, who was as commanding and vocal as ever. We caught up with him after the match and this was his assessment of the clash.

“We won today because we followed the instructions of our coach. As a young player I never used to talk a lot but my coaches told me to talk more.”

His presence and skills to organise his team in transition between attack and defence will surely make him a vital player in this tournament. We then carried on with our conversation and he had this to say about his individual plans.

“I want to improve as a player and move to bigger clubs who can offer better facilities to help me develop further. My dream is one day to play for either Cape Town City or Kaizer Chiefs but I love the style of play of Maritzburg United. Also, the person I look up to is AmaZulu defender, Tapelo Xoki, who also started his career in these fields,” said the 19 year old, who is nicknamed Tower.

Below are some of the results from Day One:
United 0 Academia 0; Happy Stars 0 Royal Citizens 5; La Masia 1 United Brothers 0; Zimasa 1 Trinitarians 2; Everton 4 Trevor United 0; Khaya Pro 2 Cape Citizens 1; Real Madrid 0 Helderberg Rovers 3; Lokxion Stars 2 Masikhanye 0; Pro Stars 1 Myrmidon 1; Hlubi Lite 0 Ithemba Sporting 0; Fire Fighters 0 Young Pirates 0; TACC United 0 Fast XI 1; Young Stars 2 Khayelitsha United 0.

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Bayhill Premier Cup: Highlands Park vs FC Real SA

Day two of the Bayhill Premier Cup brought the wind but raised the level of intensity and support, as the defending champions made their presence known with their physicality and efficacy in front of goal.

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Monday Motivation: The Making of Tyren Arendse

By Joshua Hendricks   Images: Supplied 

Bafana Bafana legend and Cape Town football icon Tyren Arendse’s ability to say no to a lifestyle that could have hindered his success is the reason why he conquered the Premier Soccer League (PSL). 

Some of his friends would take offence when he chose to stay home instead of maybe going out on a Friday or Saturday night. The temptation was definitely there, especially due to the fact that he signed his first professional contract at the age of 18. But his maturity to make critical decisions at such a tender age provided him with a perfect platform that led to winning two league titles, five cup competitions and earning three caps for Bafana Bafana.  

Background and Journey  

Arendse was born in Elsies River but moved to Blackheath at the age of seven. Interestingly, he never played club football in his early days. “At church we had a Saturday league, so I used to play for the church. Yeah, just church and school football. When I was 16 or 17 I started playing club football for Eersteriver United’, recalls Arendse. 

During his matric year, he was selected for the SAFA Western Province team for a national competition in Durban. The team included another Bafana Legend in Nasief Morris, among others. “We won that tournament and in that event there was a guy called Gavin Manuel who was the convener of sports. At the time he was at Santos so after the tournament he asked me to join them”. 

That very time it wasn’t for Santos but for Mitchells Plain who were like a Santos’ senior development team which was playing in the Vodacom league. Arendse played a few games for them in the following season. “After this I played for Santos u19 in the Bayhill and it was the first time we won it. Then I left football for about eight months to study at Stellenbosch University.”  

While studying that same year in September he got a call from Nigel Crowie, the General Manager at Santos, to come for trials. All it took was one friendly game and soon after he was tied down to his maiden professional contract. Arendse had a successful stint with the Peoples Team before he was headhunted by Orlando Pirates where he spent two seasons. Following that came Mamelodi Sundowns where he added a league title and Nedbank Cup to his Bobsave Super Bowl, League BP Top Eight and Absa Cup he won with Santos.   

Then he returned to Santos and played four seasons in the PSL before the team was relegated to the First Division. He played two or three seasons before they were consigned to an even lower Vodacom League where he spent one season in 2018 then called it quits. “I was actually supposed to go back after the off season. That time I spent a lot of time with my family because my boys were still young. I thought that there was nothing that I still wanted to achieve in football. The moment when I scored on debut for Bafana away against Tunisia in a friendly match is a memory I hold in high stead.” 

Challenges  

“There were a lot of challenges because I was a late starter in football. There was no connection and I didn’t know anything about professional football. I was never involved in the junior structure. Out of nowhere I was kind of thrown in the deep end. Coming from local amateur football where the mentality is totally different. I had to unlearn a lot of things. I was very determined and mentally strong. In the beginning it wasn’t easy. I had a lot of friends who, like me, didn’t understand what it is to be a pro footballer.”  

Before that, Arendse and his friends used to go clubbing on a Friday or a Saturday night. Being a professional football player it was difficult to do with a game the next day. His friends couldn’t understand when he refused. To them it looked like fame and money were getting into his head. As a result, he lost a lot of friends by making such an informed and sober decision. He had to break free from a lifestyle that would put his career under threat. 

From a footballing point of view, he had on-field constraints that he had to work hard on to basically catch up his development.  

“When I got into the team there were players who were much better than me on a technical level because I never had proper development. I played football in the streets and at school. I used to go early to school just to play every day. At home we played in the streets against kids of all ages and sizes.                                                                                            

 “It’s the best development you can have because you try different things. You find out what you can and what you can’t do. Physically, they build you down there. My never say die attitude got built up on the streets and on unstructured football. Technically, I had to improve a lot. My tenacity and hard work helped me to become a better player.”  

Plans after football 

In the prime of his game, life after football was not thought of but close to the end he started thinking about where he would fit in. Being so in love with football, he always thought that he would eventually at some point become a coach at Santos. 

 After a two-year hiatus he found himself coaching school football, getting himself involved with football programmes that included 20 schools in the Eersteriver/Mfuleni and Blue Downs area. His love for development became evident and he saw it as a mandate set out for himself.  

Personal Coaching ambitions   

“If the right opportunity comes I’ll definitely be involved in professional football. Development level is where I want to be for now because there is so much that needs to be done. More pro coaches need to get involved in the development so that they are taught the right things sooner.  

“When amateur players come into a pro setup there is so much they need to catch up on. If we involve more ex professional players into our development then we will have more 17-18 year-olds in the PSL. I last coached FC Kapstadt u18s but due to Covid-19 it was a very difficult season.” 

The Santos Conundrum  

Arendse had sympathy for former club owners because he believes that the job is tricky and extremely demanding. In his opinion, everything is about results and that you can lose your mind trying to chase the gold. “Many clubs are pushing for promotion without having the right structures cemented. Having like-minded people that know the plan and share the same vision is what is needed. Most of the time people come in and spend money. As soon as this fails they sell the franchise. Develop your own players, stick to your principles and set yourself realistic goals by focusing more on the structure.” 

Arendse believes that the current crop of up and coming footballers are different to his generation. “I had this good grounding at home. Knowing I had to work hard and this was always instilled in me from a young age. The generation of today is a lot different. They seem to walk around with this kind of arrogance. They got the talent but are not always willing to put in the extra efforts. I had a lot of experienced players around me who would advise me on what to do and what not to do. When I came into the Santos frame I always had older heads advising me and I implemented their advice.”

 

 

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Cape Town Gem Turns Pro

By Joshua Hendricks  

It is every sportsperson’s dream to turn professional, and that dream has been realized by Cape Town rising football star Mogamat Samodien May when he signed his professional contract with Cape Town City FC. 

The Hanover Park-born May has put pen to paper on a deal for City’s DStv Premiership team, under the guidance of Eric Tinkler, from the Regional Third Division team Hanover Park FC. His signing makes him join an impressive growing list of Cape Town footballers who fought their way onto the books of the Citizens, confirming the club’s commitment to investing in and developing local football.  

After signing with the Citizens, May expressed his delight and gratefulness. 

“I’m ecstatic, over the moon. No words can describe how grateful I am for Metamorphosize Personal Training and the coaching staff at Hanover Park FC. Also Cape Town City FC for believing in me and giving me this life-changing opportunity. This, to me, is another shot at life. An opportunity to better myself both as a player and as an individual.”

Riedewaan Anthony, Chairman of Hanover Park FC, congratulated May and said his move means a lot to many youngsters on the Cape Flats.

“We congratulate Samodien on his departure to Cape Town City. Representing the hopes and dreams of so many kids on the Cape Flats. Hanover Park always produces players for the likes of Ajax Cape Town (now Cape Town Spurs) and other academies. The stats prove that a huge amount of players from the area eventually join top academies. 

“We wish him well and hopefully this motivates others to do the same. This will inspire them that one of our own will play in the PSL (Premier Soccer League) again following the likes of Clinton Emmanuel, Simphiwe Phama, Amigo Memela(AmaZulu) and Alfred Ndengane(Maritzburg United). So Samodien will join this list.”

According to Anthony, May has been with Hanover Park from the early ages.

“He started in the mini’s group and continued until the age of 15. He was one of the reasons we won the Mr Price Tournament. Beating all the top academies and that drew their attention to him, prompting the move to Old Mutual and later Ajax. He then returned back to us at the age of 22.

A natural goal poacher, who is comfortable with both feet and his magnificent aerial ability, May’s rise to the professional ranks will not come as a surprise in the Mother City’s football fraternity.  

“Mo” as he is known, has experience playing in the GladAfrica Championship with Steenberg United, however game time was limited.

 

 

Recently he has been in fine form by showcasing his goal scoring prowess which matches up with his accurate creativity.  

He is currently the leading goal-scorer in the Safa Cape Town’s Regional Third Division League, having bagged 13 goals and nine assists in just 10 games for Hanover Park FC. Tonight he played his last game for the team and scored a goal as Park beat Goal 50 United 3-0 to strengthen its position at the summit of the league. That was after Mo had bagged a brace to secure all three points when Park defeated Bayview Football Club 2-1.  

“It was a difficult weekend for the team because we played two games, one on Friday and the other on Sunday. Especially Sunday was a bit tough because of the heat but we pushed through and got the three points”, said May after the Bayview game.   

“In the first half we dominated and got the goal. Then we took our foot off the paddle in the second half, allowing Bayview into the game. Luckily, I managed to get the second goal that secured the win but it was a team effort on a challenging weekend.”  

It was hoped that the former Old Mutual and Ajax academy graduate would play a key role in Hanover Park’s quest for the title as his goals have made the Brasse van die Park serious contenders for the Third Division title. Now that he has reached his dreams, Park will have to do without him.  

Nevertheless, his progression will be seen as a great motivation for footballers playing in the lower divisions. Anything is possible because there is always someone watching you. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cape Town Dominates SA U-17 Squad

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Cape Town Football Star Joins French Outfits

13 December 2019 Author: Staff Writer

Cape Town woman football sensation Kelso Peskin has been signed by Toulouse Football Club, aka Toulouse FC Féminines, in France to become at least the seventh local woman footballer to join an overseas team in the past five months.

Peskin, who was instrumental in Vasco Da Gama’s successful Sasol League Western Cape campaign this year, will link up with her new teammates in January 2020 until the end of the current season in June (with an option to be renewed). She had just returned to South Africa in December 2018 from the United States where she spent a total of four years in separate stints furthering both her academic and sporting careers.

“I’m excited to join Toulouse and hope to help them get back to winning ways,” Peskin told Cape at 6 Sport this week. “I’m also very nervous but it helps that I spent a week with the team in early November so at least I will know the girls when I get there”. 

Her move follows that of the Maties FC duo of Cassidy Arendse and Isabelle Bertossi who went to the United States in August, and the four rising RV United stars of Ember Edwards, Nwabisa Goba, Thina Ganto and Kuhle Madlokazi who went to the same country in September.

France is one of the leading countries in women football and Peskin said it was not difficult to accept the Toulouse offer. “And on my visit the coaching staff and players made me feel so welcomed and part of the team it was honestly really hard to say no”. 

What would she like to achieve in Europe?

“My objective is to help the team get back to winning ways, and grow as a player while helping others to grow, too. I want to be better than I am. There’s always room for improvement and I’m willing to learn and grow as an individual,” the Kaizer Chiefs supporter noted.  

Peskin, who has played for Banyana Banyana as well as Under 17 and Under 20 national teams, believes her move to Europe will take her football to a higher level. “It will teach me things that I may not have learnt over the years that I have been playing. I’m excited to learn and be a better player. It’s definitely a higher level of football in Europe so I’m excited to grow and be on that level. I’m excited to go on this new journey”. 

For her rise in football Peskin, who is also a big fan of Manchester United in the English Premier League, credited her dad, Nathan Peskin (pictured above), who was also her coach at Vasco this season and when she played for the University of the Western Cape in the past. “His work ethic and dedication is unbelievable. He has helped shaped me into the person and player I am today and I couldn’t thank him enough for all what he has done. He has always motivated me and pushed me – and himself – to be the best we can be.”

She has encouraged wannabe women footballers to “keep working hard and not give up just because things are hard or not going your way. We can all overcome challenges that God put in front of us. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Be your own motivator, put in the hard work and you will succeed in all that you do”.

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