Cup’s goal is to spot talent
THE draw and launch of the 30th Bayhill Premier Cup soccer showpiece is not just important for the growth of soccer, but also for youth development.
Bennet Bailey, president of Safa Cape Town, in his address at the event held at the Mayoral Banqueting Hall on Tuesday night, said the tournament was a place where the youth could come together and showcase their talent.
The annual, gruelling tournament, with 32 teams participating, will be held at Erica Park, Belhar over the Easter weekend culminating in the finals on Easter Monday. One of the new kids on the block this year will be Khanyounis Centre Club from Palestine.
“The Bayhill should be treated as an event where the internal sport tourism is of cardinal importance. This is where people move in masses from township to township, from one suburb to another. This is where local economic injection is the importance of the day. The surrounding businesses enjoy the economic injections during the six-day tournament,” said Bailey.
“This tournament doesn’t attract major sponsorships like other big tournaments do because its purpose is different. Its objective is talent identification.”
Mayor Dan Plato side it was important for the city to show its support to the sporting fraternity. He said the City had meetings planned about the future of soccer and other sporting codes in Cape Town.
“The City of Cape Town supports local soccer and we recognise this very important sporting code,” Plato said.
Meanwhile, Hans Vonk, head of football and youth Ajax Cape Town, emphasised that the tournament provided huge opportunities for many soccer players to showcase their talent, some of whom had made the ranks of the national team and signed lucrative deals with overseas clubs.