Team Western Cape Prepares for the Weifang Cup

The Western Cape’s best under 19 football players will be competing in the Weifang Cup from 27 July to 2 August 2014 in Shandong province, China. A training camp was held for Team Western Cape in Tokai from 1 to 3 July featuring intense fitness, motivational and information components. 

 

The invitation from the Weifang Football Federation to this prestigious international tournament has been made possible by a sport cooperation agreement between Western Cape and Shandong province. The team’s trip is supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) and Metropolitan.

 

The Western Cape team was selected by former professional players and coaches during the Metropolitan Under-19 Premier Cup played in Cape Town earlier this year. 

 

Head Coach Marius Fourie said that the camp enabled team members to train together and to get to know one other. “The training camp was very good for team morale and team spirit,” he said. 

 

According to Byron McKeller (18) of Hellenic Football Club, “One of highlights of the training camp was that we all arrived here as strangers and now we will be leaving as a united team”. He is looking forward to the experience as it will be his first trip to China. 

 

The players left the camp with many lessons learned from the best in the industry such as media communications by JP Naude and player personalities and the rules of the game by FIFA referee Jerome Damon. Players also picked up some leadership skills, tips on travelling to China and even a basic Mandarin course. 

 

This is one of the fruits borne from the relationship DCAS is building with Shandong province. The Department aims to bring many more sport developments opportunities to sport federations to improve the quality of sport in the Western Cape.