Apex f ly PE f lag at national tourney

FOR all but two of the 20 players in the Apex Football Club squad it will be a dream come true when they board a flight to Johannesburg on Thursday to compete in the 2018 Engen Champ of Champs.

They will join five of the top U18 teams battling for national bragging rights at the Tuks High-Performance Centre in Pretoria over the next three days.

The tournament will feature the five regional Engen Knockout Challenge champions – Hellenic (Western Cape), Apex United (Eastern Cape), Royal Eagles (KwaZulu-Natal), Virginia Sports Academy (Free State), Bidvest Wits (Gauteng) and host club SuperSport.

To win the EP leg of the competition has been a remarkable achievement for Apex, which was formed just four years ago.

The players come from the impoverished areas of Arcadia, Bloemendal, Windvogel, KwaNoxolo and Extension 32.

They practise on the Vaarsvlei field behind the West End swimming pool.

“We are not going to Pretoria just to compete,” coach Clayton Higgins said.

“Unless the boys are overawed by their first plane trip and first trip out of PE, we plan to return with the trophy and make our city proud.

“Even if we do not win [the competition] we hope the boys will catch the eye of the many talent scouts who will be attending the tournament.”