{"id":42708,"date":"2024-04-24T13:36:21","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T11:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=42708"},"modified":"2024-04-24T13:36:21","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T11:36:21","slug":"gesond-vilakazi-foundation-freedom-day-tournament-launched","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=42708","title":{"rendered":"Gesond Vilakazi Foundation Freedom Day tournament launched"},"content":{"rendered":"

The highly anticipated annual Gesond Vilakazi Foundation (GVF) Freedom Day Knockout<\/strong> Tournament<\/strong> was officially launched at the Rio Casino Hotel<\/strong> in Matlosana (formerly Klerksdorp), on Monday.<\/p>\n

Among those in attendance at the draw was the South African football legend, Lucky Lekgwathi<\/strong>. The former Orlando Pirates’ captain, who led Amabhakabhaka to the treble in successive years – in the 2010\/11 and 2011\/12 seasons – pledged to contribute to the GVF<\/strong> Sporting Monyetla<\/strong> programme activities, which seek to open doors and create pathways for football talent in Matlosana.<\/p>\n

\"\"
From left to right: Lucky Lekgwathi, Gesond Vilakazi (GVF Chairperson), Andrew Peterson, James Tsolela, and O.S Setlhare<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The <\/span>South African Football Association (SAFA), Dr Kenneth Kaunda and <\/strong>Matlosana Local Football Associations, <\/strong>club owners, local business owners and members of the media, were also in attendance.<\/span><\/p>\n

The annual Freedom Day Knockout kicks off on Freedom Day, Saturday, 27 April.<\/p>\n

The Chairperson of the GVF, Gesond Vilakazi<\/strong>, said the knockout tournament aims to create opportunities for local players in the u17 and u19 age groups.<\/p>\n

“The goal is to pave the way for them to join clubs in the Motsepe Championship (National First Division), DStv Premiership<\/strong> and even overseas clubs,” he stated.<\/p>\n

During the launch, Vilakazi confirmed that a squad of 20 u19 players would be selected after the tournament to participate in friendly matches against leading clubs like TS Galaxy, Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates<\/strong>, and SuperSport United. <\/strong>The squad would also be entered into big competitions, such as the Bayhill Premier Cup<\/strong><\/a> and the Iber Cup.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Freedom Day Knockout is a key event on the GVF Sporting Monyetla Programme’s annual schedule, and their hope is that it will having a lasting impact on the Matlosana area.<\/p>\n

Sports in South Africa have proven they possess a remarkable ability to bridge gaps between generations, cultures, races and social classes. Recognising this, the Gesond Vilakazi Foundation is utilising sport to engage children in activities during school holidays, and to provide them with life skills and education.<\/p>\n

The organisers listed the four primary objectives of the Gesond Vilakazi Foundation:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. To unite soccer enthusiasts, clubs and the general public from all corners of Matlosana, fostering a sense of camaraderie and friendly competition through enjoyable soccer tournaments.<\/li>\n
  2. To create opportunities for talented soccer players to be recognised, scouted and potentially recruited by professional clubs in South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America and various European Clubs.<\/li>\n
  3. To empower coaches of all participating teams by organising seminars that enhance their coaching skills and knowledge. Esteemed speakers will share their insights on technical advancement and sports science, further enriching their coaching acumen.<\/li>\n
  4. To provide all participating players with valuable life skills, training and coaching clinics, ensuring their holistic development both on and off the field.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    GVF Sporting Chance Programme Tournaments<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The Freedom Day Tournament, 27 April – 4 May<\/li>\n
    2. The Future Gen Knock Out, 15-22 June<\/li>\n
    3. The Maltosana Festive Knock Out 14-21 December<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Freedom Day Tournament Fixtures – u17 – 27 April
      \n<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Group A: Matlosana Stadium<\/strong><\/p>\n

      09:00 – Imkava Sporting FC vs Suncity Arsenal FC
      \n11:15 – Kosh FC vs Ikamva Sporting
      \n13:30 – Suncity Arsenal FC vs Kosh FC<\/p>\n

      Group B: Extension 16 Ground<\/strong><\/p>\n

      09:00 – Mighty Rovers FC vs Golden Palace FC
      \n11:30 – Bianca FC vs Mighty Rovers FC
      \n13:00 – Golden Palace FC vs Bianca FC<\/p>\n

      Group C: Alabama Stadium C<\/strong><\/p>\n

      09:00 – Ellaton United FC vs Alabama Athletic FC
      \n10:15 – Klerksdorp Young Stars vs Alabama Young Stars
      \n11:30 – Milano FC vs Winner Match 10
      \n14:00 – Winner Match 11 vs Winner Match 12<\/p>\n

      Group E: Orkney 6 Ground<\/strong><\/p>\n

      10:00 – Striking Mountain Movers vs Orkney Juventus FC
      \n12:00 – Makhoti FC vs Striking Mountain Movers
      \n14:00 – Orkney Juventus FC vs Makhoti FC<\/p>\n

      Group R: Kanana Stadium<\/strong><\/p>\n

      09:00 – Kanana Young Chelsea FC vs Cloud 9 FC
      \n11:30 – Kanana United FC vs Kanana Young Chelsea FC
      \n14:00 – Cloud 9 FC vs Kanana United FC<\/p>\n

      Group G: Kanana Stadium<\/strong><\/p>\n

      10:15 – Orkney Young Zebras FC vs Kanana Academy
      \n12:45 – Kanana Celtics FC vs Orkney Young Zebras FC
      \n15:15 – Kanana Academy vs Kanana Celtics FC<\/p>\n

      1 May: Group Stage Klerksdorp\/ Jouberto\/ Alabama\/ Tigame Teams<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Matlosana Stadium<\/strong><\/p>\n

      10:00 – Group A winner vs Group D winner
      \n11:15 – Group B Winner vs Group C winner
      \n14:00 – Winner Match 23 vs Winner Match 24<\/p>\n

      Kanana Stadium: Group Stage Kanana\/ Vaal Reefs\/ Orkney Teams<\/strong><\/p>\n

      10:00 – Group E winner vs Group F winner
      \n12:30 – Group G winner vs Group E winner
      \n14:00 – Group F winner vs Group G winner<\/p>\n

      4 May: u17 Final<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Venue: Brazil Stadium<\/strong><\/p>\n

      12:00 – Winner Klerksdorp Teams vs Winner Orkney Teams<\/p>\n

      Fixtures u19, April 28<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Group A: Matlosana Stadium\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      09:00 – Eagles FC vs Golden Palace FC
      \n11:15 – Kosh Academy vs Eagles FC
      \n13:30 – Golden Palace FC vs Kosh Academy<\/p>\n

      Group B: Brazil Stadium<\/strong><\/p>\n

      08:00 – Eastern Togers FC vs Thembu Stars FC
      \n10:00 – Klerksdorp Rising Stars vs Eastern Tigers FC
      \n12:00 – Thembu Stars FC vs Klerksdorp Rising Stars<\/p>\n

      Group C: Alabama Stadium<\/strong><\/p>\n

      09:00 – Ikamva Sporting FC vs Alabama Young Stars
      \n11:15 – Alabama Athletic FC vs Ikamva Sporting FC
      \n13:30 – Alabama Young Stats FC vs Alabama Athletic FC<\/p>\n

      Group D: Kanana Stadium<\/strong><\/p>\n

      0800 – Rybakina FC vs Kanana Celtics FC
      \n09:15 – Makhoti FC vsKanana Young Athletic FC
      \n11:30 – Winner Match 11 vs Winner Match 12<\/p>\n

      1 May: Semi Finals\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Recreational Centre<\/strong><\/p>\n

      12:00 – Group D winner vs Group C winner<\/p>\n

      Matlosana Stadium<\/strong><\/p>\n

      12:30 – Group A winner vs Group B winner<\/p>\n

      4 May: Final\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Brazil Stadium<\/strong><\/p>\n

      14:00 – Winner Match 13 vs Winner Match 14<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The highly anticipated annual Gesond Vilakazi Foundation (GVF) Freedom Day Knockout Tournament was officially launched at the Rio Casino Hotel in Matlosana (formerly Klerksdorp), on Monday. Among those in attendance at the draw was the South African football legend, Lucky Lekgwathi. The former Orlando Pirates’ captain, who led Amabhakabhaka to the treble in successive years […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":42855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42708\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}