Dr Beyers Naudé celebrate
Win Investec League and R250 000 prize
NOW IN its 10th year, the Investec Soccer League (ISL) celebrated a final like no other at the Nike Football Stadium in Soweto on a windy yet sunny Saturday last week.
The 97-game round robin tournament, which kicked off on May 9, crowned Dr Beyers Naudé as first-time champions and worthy recipients of the special 10-year anniversary R250 000 first prize.
Piloted in 2008 as the brainchild of Investec Corporate Social Investment, the ISL is fully endorsed by the Gauteng Department of Education and involves 20 high schools from across Soweto, benefiting 360 learners under the age of 21 from Grades 8 to 12.
“We gathered on Saturday with the top four qualifying schools from the league,” said Setlogane Manchidi, head of CSI for Investec. “The schools are also feeder schools in Investec Corporate Social Investment’s flagship Promaths programme, which provides additional tuition in maths and science for pupils in Grades 10 to 12 – so this league has always been about much more than just the game on the field.”
The first semi-final saw Sebetsa Secondary School draw 2-all to Dr Beyers Naudé Secondary School, with the outcome decided by penalties. It was Dr Beyers Naudé that took the nail-biting win on sudden death. The second semi-final pitted Lamula Secondary School against Lavela Secondary School, which Lavela won 1-0. The 1pm final was set to be a cracker, with neither school having made it to the final of this league before. That match, too, went to penalties after it concluded in a draw.
Dr Beyers Naudé finally clinched the win 5-4, and celebrated like only football lovers can, with many of the players overwhelmed by the biggest win of their lives.
As all four teams walked away with huge prize money, one can’t help but feel that there were no losers at the 2018 Investec Soccer League finals.