{"id":77229,"date":"2025-07-11T11:48:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T09:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=77229"},"modified":"2025-07-11T11:48:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T09:48:21","slug":"top-teams-to-meet-at-kes-in-inaugural-apbsa-football-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=77229","title":{"rendered":"Top teams to meet at KES in inaugural APBSA Football Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-77382 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/KES-logo-400x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" \/>From Tuesday, 15 July, to Thursday, 17 July, <strong>King Edward VII School (KES)<\/strong> is set to host the <strong>Association of Public Boys&#8217; Schools of South Africa (APBSA)<\/strong> <strong>Football Festival<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The festival, which makes its bow this year, will feature some of the most competitive u19 schoolboy football teams in South Africa.<\/p>\n<p>The competition will be played on two fields over three days.<\/p>\n<p>Among the schools in action will be <strong>Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG)<\/strong>, primarily recognised for its robust rugby programme and for being a regular supplier of <strong>Springbok<\/strong> rugby players, including <strong>Damian Willemse, Willie le Roux, Steven Kitshoff<\/strong>, and <strong>Herschel Jantjies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>PRG, though, also excels in football and not only in the Western Cape. It&#8217;s one of the country&#8217;s top football institutions and its alumni includes <strong>Ziyaad Eksteen<\/strong>, who has played for <strong>Ajax Cape Town<\/strong> and <strong>Maritzburg United<\/strong> in the top tier of South African football, the <strong>Premier Soccer League<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Former <strong>Orlando Pirates<\/strong>&#8216; wing, <strong>Riyaad Norodien<\/strong>, is also a product of the PRG football programme. With their rich history in the sport, Paul Roos will be one of the teams to keep an eye on.<\/p>\n<p>Another school with a rich rugby history, which also excels on the football field, is <strong>Grey College<\/strong>. Up against many of South Africa&#8217;s top teams, the Bloemfontein boys placed sixth at the <a href=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/absa-wildeklawer-has-a-new-champion-virginia-high-school\/\"><strong>Absa Wildeklawer Soccer Tournament<\/strong><\/a> in May.<\/p>\n<p>While Grey College is renowned for its legendary rugby programme, it is also recognised as one of the most formidable and daring schools in South African football.<\/p>\n<p>Under the leadership of <strong>Monde Hlatshwayo<\/strong>, the <strong>Director of Football<\/strong> at Grey College &#8211; a passionate football aficionado and the holder of a <strong>CAF A License<\/strong>, which he obtained in 2024 &#8211; Grey has excelled on the football field.<\/p>\n<p>They&#8217;ve qualified for the <strong>Curro Halala Cup Finals<\/strong>, where they are scheduled to face <strong>Curro Soshanguve<\/strong> on 7 August at <strong>HeronBridge College<\/strong>. That makes them one of only six in the running to lift the inaugural Curro Halala Cup. Relentless, they&#8217;ll be a team to watch at KES.<\/p>\n<p>The hosts, KES, should not be overlooked. They boast a commendable reputation and a robust and successful football programme. Their old boys include <strong>Cape Town City<\/strong> midfielder <strong>Thabo Nodada<\/strong> and former <strong>Manchester United<\/strong> goalkeeper <strong>Gary Bailey<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Historically, the school has enjoyed title-winning success in national tournaments, including the <strong>Grey College Football Tournament<\/strong>, the <strong>St David&#8217;s Challenge Cup<\/strong>, and the <strong>St Peter&#8217;s Tournament<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Northwood School<\/strong> will represent KZN interests in Johannesburg. They&#8217;ve played plenty of football already this year, participating in the Absa Wildeklawer Soccer Tournament and the <a href=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/tournament-kznhsfa-leagues\/\"><strong>Mancosa KwaZulu-Natal High Schools Football Association Coastal A-League<\/strong><\/a>. It has, thus far, been a challenging year for the Durban school, but they have shown signs of improvement in recent outings.<\/p>\n<p>The APBSA Football Festival does not declare a winner. It is, instead, intended to be a celebration of the beautiful game.<\/p>\n<p>It will also serve, for many of the participants, as ideal preparation for the forthcoming fixtures in the third term.<\/p>\n<p>Among the other teams that will be in action are <strong>Jeppe High School for Boys<\/strong>, <strong>Dale College<\/strong>, <strong>Pretoria Boys High<\/strong>, <strong>Parktown Boys&#8217; High<\/strong>, <strong>Rondebosch Boys&#8217; High<\/strong>, <strong>St David&#8217;s Marist Inanda<\/strong>, <strong>St Andrew&#8217;s School<\/strong>, <strong>Springs&#8217; Boys&#8217; High<\/strong>, <strong>Potchefstroom Boys&#8217; High<\/strong>, and <strong>Queen&#8217;s College<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>With a high calibre of schools gracing the inaugural\u00a0Association of Public Boys&#8217; Schools of South Africa (APBSA) Football Festival, top quality football and competition is on the cards.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, 15 July<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Field A<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>08:00 &#8211; KES vs Paul Roos<br \/>\n09:00 &#8211; Jeppe vs Northwood<br \/>\n10:00 &#8211; Queen&#8217;s College vs Pretoria Boys High<br \/>\n11:00 &#8211; Grey College vs KES<br \/>\n13:00 &#8211; Dale College vs Parktown Boys&#8217; High<br \/>\n14:00 &#8211; Saint Andrew&#8217;s School vs Jeppe<br \/>\n15:00 &#8211; St David&#8217;s vs Rondebosch Boys&#8217; High<\/p>\n<p><strong>Field B<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>08:00 &#8211; Grey College vs Dale College<br \/>\n09:00 &#8211; Parktown Boys&#8217; High vs Saint Andrew&#8217;s School<br \/>\n10:00 &#8211; Rondebosch Boys&#8217; High vs Springs Boys&#8217; High<br \/>\n11:00 &#8211; St David&#8217;s vs Potchefstroom Boys&#8217; High<br \/>\n13:00 &#8211; Northwood vs Paul Roos<br \/>\n14:00 &#8211; Queen&#8217;s College vs Springs Boys&#8217; High<br \/>\n15:00 &#8211; Pretoria Boys&#8217; High vs Potchefstroom Boys&#8217; High<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, 16 July<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Field A<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>08:00 &#8211; Parktown Boys&#8217; High vs Northwood<br \/>\n09:00 &#8211; Grey College vs Rondebosch Boys&#8217; High<br \/>\n10:00 &#8211; Springs Boys&#8217; High vs Saint Andrew&#8217;s School<br \/>\n11:00 &#8211; Dale College vs St David&#8217;s<br \/>\n13:00 &#8211; Parktown Boys&#8217; High vs Potchefstroom Boys&#8217; High<br \/>\n14:00 &#8211; KES vs Rondebosch Boys&#8217; High<br \/>\n15:00 &#8211; Saint Andrew&#8217;s School vs Pretoria Boys High<\/p>\n<p><strong>Field B<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>08:00 &#8211; Jeppe vs Queen&#8217;s College<br \/>\n09:00 &#8211; KES vs Potchefstroom Boys&#8217; High<br \/>\n10:00 &#8211; Pretoria Boys High vs Paul Roos<br \/>\n11:00 &#8211; Northwood vs Queen&#8217;s College<br \/>\n13:00 &#8211; Jeppe vs Grey College<br \/>\n14:00 &#8211; Dale College vs Springs Boys&#8217; High<br \/>\n15:00 &#8211; St David&#8217;s vs Paul Roos<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, 17 July\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Field A<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>08:00 &#8211; Paul Roos vs Springs Boys&#8217; High<br \/>\n09:00 &#8211; Potchefstroom Boys&#8217; High vs Saint Andrew&#8217;s School<br \/>\n10:00 &#8211; Grey College vs Parktown Boys&#8217; High<br \/>\n11:00 &#8211; KES vs Queen&#8217;s College<\/p>\n<p><strong>Field B<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>08:00 -Rondebosch Boys&#8217; High vs Jeppe<br \/>\n09:00 &#8211; Dale College vs Pretoria Boys High<br \/>\n10:00 &#8211; St David&#8217;s vs Northwood<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From Tuesday, 15 July, to Thursday, 17 July, King Edward VII School (KES) is set to host the Association of Public Boys&#8217; Schools of South Africa (APBSA) Football Festival. The festival, which makes its bow this year, will feature some of the most competitive u19 schoolboy football teams in South Africa. The competition will be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":77382,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77229","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\/77229","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=77229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77229\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/77382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=77229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=77229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=77229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}