Meridian Northern Academy, based in Polokwane, was crowned the top soccer school in South Africa this past weekend.
Northern Academy’s Under-19 Boys team won the Kay Motsepe Schools Championship in Rustenburg with a 2-1 victory in the final, whilst the Under-13 Boys team placed third in this prestigious national competition.
Launched in 2004 with the endorsement of the South African Football Association (SAFA), the Kay Motsepe Schools Championship is the biggest national schools football competition bringing together both public and independent schools from around South Africa who compete for the right to be crowned champions of schools football. This year, 13 000 teams from more than 5 000 schools took part in the tournament which is an initiative co-funded by Sanlam and the Motsepe Foundation. Boasting a combined prize purse of R8.6 million in infrastructure development funding, the 2024 competition comprises three divisions: Under-19 boys, Under-13 boys and Under-13 girls.
The Meridian Schools group is managed by Curro Holdings. Cobus Loubser, the CEO of Curro, is very proud of the Northern Academy teams. “These champions exemplify the spirit of dedication and excellence of Northern Academy and underscores Curro’s commitment to invest in the potential of South Africa’s youth.”
Fergus Sampson, Business Executive for the Meridian schools, explained that the school that wins the Under-19 category nationally will receive R3 million in infrastructure development to benefit the teaching and learning at the school. “Being part of the Curro Group means that we strive for excellence in everything we do, with exceptional results in academics, and in the sports and cultural arenas.”
“Our coaches have been working towards the goal of being the number one soccer school in South Africa for a while now. Northern Academy’s teams have been travelling to Gauteng since pre-season to prepare our teams. It was a big investment of time, energy and funds, but well worth it,” says Sampson.
“Limpopo is a province with exceptional talent, not just in soccer but in many other sports too. Schools cannot always showcase their talent at a national level, but to have our teams come first and third in this competition shows that the talent is here. This tournament gave Northern Academy the opportunity to show that we have brilliant football players. We can’t wait to see where the sport will take these youngsters one day. We also wish them all the best with their final matric exams,” said Loubser.
Presse release sent from NRPR
