The last few schools rugby matches are being played this
weekend, but there’s no doubt that the first weekend of August, in Joburg,
belongs to the beautiful game.
It’s St David’s Marist Inanda Soccer Challenge Cup time –
it’s been that way since 2003. I was at the opening day on Friday and it occurred
to me that the 576 boys in action there probably had no appreciation for the
role that St David’s has played in making football the growing school sport that
it is.
When Shane Gaffney, director of sport at St David’s at the
time, first had the idea of a tournament like this part of the idea was to
kick-start the game in the boys schools in Joburg. Football in the third term
was only beginning to take root and it was mainly the Model C co-ed schools who
participated, along with St David’s and Highlands North. The boys schools,
until then were fiercely resisting the idea of introducing the game at their
rugby-obsessed schools, but when they saw a well-run tournament, based on sound
educational principles was in place and that it was attracting some of the
elite schools from around the country, they had to join in. Eventually they all
gave in to the demand for the game in their communities.
Because a third term season is so short, squeezed in between
summer and winter, a tournament makes sense. Each team will play six games over
the three days at St David’s, and they are full-length matches. Most of the
schools will play three or four tournaments of this kind in the season and the
upshot is that, far from a brief “after-thought” of a season, the 1st
football team will typically play more matches than the 1st rugby
team will.
It was a U19 tournament at first, U15 teams were added in
2009, and this year there are U14s and U16s too, playing at St Stithians. That
makes it a massive undertaking. There are 32 teams at each venue and a total of
96 matches will be played at each over the three days. And it runs like a well-oiled
machine. Brad Ireland, St David’s sport director is the organiser and right
next to him all the time in Franco Gilardi, who has been involved since 2007.
Between them, they have pretty much nailed the model, although they do tweak it
a little every year. “We extended the U-19 games to 35 minutes a side this
year, for example, and we are considering brining in rolling substitutions from
next year, Ireland said.
It’s an undoubted success story, and it was St David’s that
started it all. Football is growing as a school sport, in numbers and quality.
If it were not for the vision on Shane Gaffney and the dedication of Brad
Ireland, Franco Gilardi and the people who have kept the tournament going, it would
never have happened.
The beautiful game kicks off this weekend. It’s been great watching
it happen.
I remember back in1991 when I was a teacher at Fourways high with a dream to see football played in local high schools. I contacted most of the local high schools and many laughed at my idea and told me rugby was more important and football would never be played in schools in Jhb We started that league with 6 schools, Fourways, Highlands North ,Roosevelt, King David links field , Ling David VP and Sandringham. I left high school education in 1993 but have watched from afar to see how football has grown and now 32 years later I see tournaments like these and feel a sense of pride as from humble beginnings it has mushroomed and football is played by most schools in Jhb
ReplyDeleteMany do not even know that it all began as a dream of a young teacher at Fourways High in 1991
Mark Newman?
ReplyDeleteMy brother Stuart Ray (1971) and myself (Terry 1965) always loved and played soccer, although St David's was a rugby school. That said there was a following. Stuart's class went to and beat St Benedict's (then exclusively a soccer school) in 1970/71. A few years later, still playing, Stuart represented the provincial team and was picked to play against an All Star team in an exhibition game in Jhb that included recent World Cup winners, Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore and Martin Peters. Nice to see soccer and rugby is no longer an either or.
ReplyDeleteNorkem Park High has been fortunate to have been invited to every single Challenge Cup and this year our 14s and 16s joimed the format held at Saints.This tiurnament has realky put us on the football map nd a big thanks to Shane Gaffney for that initial invite 20 years ago.Brad and Franco thanks for keeping this tournament carry on.
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