Young bucks are all set to get a kick out of the Chetty festival
Daily Dispatch
@Dispatch_DD THE Annual Vissie Chetty Grade One Soccer Festival is gearing up for its third edition at Crewe Primary School on Saturday.
Last year’s event was well received with children turning out in their numbers to compete at the fest.
This year nine schools will be represented, bringing 20 teams to play in the day of soccer action.
Five teams will come from the host school, four from St Johns Primary, three from Selborne, two each from Soccer Kids Academy and Aspiranza Primary while Voorpos, Berlin, AW Barnes and Merrifield primaries bring a team apiece.
This will see over 200 kids taking part in the event, learning and showcasing their budding soccer talents.
The popular junior soccer event is used by Crewe as an initiation into sport for their grade ones as they do not participate in extramural activities. They only practise ball skills twice a week.
For the festival the teams will line up eight-a-side and play in 15-minute matches Score will not be kept but each coach will select one “Player of the Festival” from each of their respective teams and all participating players will receive a certificate of participation.
Volunteer paramedics will be on hand to attend to any sport injuries that could possibly occur.
The day will start with a welcome message and the national anthem will be sung.
Following the games will be the prizegiving, where the players of the tournament will also be announced.
A vote of thanks will then close this year’s event.
During the festival the kids will receive refreshments. The festival is named after legendary and longserving Border and SA Soccer Federation goalkeeper Vissie Chetty, who is still involved in the game at the age of 73, coaching at Crewe where he has been since 2001.
Among others, he has coached his own grandchildren who attended the school.
Nicknamed ‘ The Cat’ in his heyday for his amazing prowess in the goals, the impressive shotstopper played for Merchants Football Club as their last line of defence.
Chetty was a part of Merchants for an incredible 36 years, from 1950 until 1986, and he helped bring numerous pieces of silverware to the club.
This included a fantastic year in 1959 when the team won every competition they played in, including the league.
Between 1960 and 1976 Chetty made the Border squad for a remarkable 16 consecutive year period.
He became a common feature in the ever-impressing Border team of that time.
His agility in the goals and ability to read the game ensured that he was named captain on more than one occasion.
This included in 1972, when he led the Border team to the finals of the Kajee Cup, the popular interprovincial tournament, where they lost to Transvaal. Following his playing career Chetty coached his old club team, in which son, Yashie played.
Chetty has managed to bridge the gap across many spectrums with his love of the game over the many years that he has been involved in soccer in the East London area.
He has become a constant figure on the Crewe sportsfield where he can be found doing what he loves best.
Imparting his knowledge and experience and playing his part in the development and growth of youngsters not only keeps him happy but continues to keep him young at heart and fit enough to rival someone half his age.