Schools Playground Football Challenge Final | Western Cape Government

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Schools Playground Football Challenge Final

28 February 2010

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport hosted the spectacular final of the Schools Playground Football Challenge on the Grand Parade on Saturday 27 February 2010.

The final of the Playground Football Challenge is the culmination of a league fixture which started, on the 25 November 2009 with 256 teams representing 8 districts competing for the final 32 spots available at this weekend's final.

Each qualifying team represented a nation participating in the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup. The finals also coincided with the start of the 100 days to go to the World Cup celebrations which will kick off on the Tuesday 2 March.

The tournament is a tangible opportunity to build the hype and excitement of the 2010 World Cup which kicks off in the country on 11 June and it affords the young community of the Western Cape an opportunity to "touch the World Cup".

The Playground Challenge has proven to be not only of recreational value, as the learners participating in the tournament received football skills training from a EUFA accredited soccer coach and a former professional football player, working for the department.

Cultural Affairs, Sport and Recreation Minister Sakkie Jenner who attended the football spectacular said, "This is all to ensure that a lasting legacy will be felt long after the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup has come and gone and that this governments' imperative of encouraging social cohesion, unity and harmony will be realised while making sure that our youth also get to pursue a more active lifestyle."