Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Ajax Cape Town nurtures talent
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AJAX Cape Town’s motto is the muchtrumpeted “no youth, no future” – and it’s a philosophy that has served the Parowbased club well since its inception in 1999.
Last weekend, Ajax’s under-17 team won the prestigious Engen Champs of Champs in Pretoria, defeating SuperSport United 3-0 in the final.
Youth honours, though, are nothing new to the Cape club. Be it in the Mother City, in the rest of the country, or at the numerous European events that Ajax youth teams participate in, success and silverware have followed.
As a result of their commitment to youth development, season after season, year after year, Ajax unleash fresh new football talent into the Premier Soccer League. But, not only have they produced players for the local market, but quite a few have gone on to achieve success overseas, including Steven Pienaar, Eyong Enoh and Thulani Serero.
The current under-17 squad is an especially talented bunch and the coach, Kosta Scholiadis, has no doubt of their quality.
“These U- 17’s have moved up and started training with the U-19 team,” he said. “They have reached four finals this year and have proven to be a phenomenal group for the future of the club. Not only have they played the traditional Ajax brand of football, they have also developed a winning mentality, which is required at the highest level.”
“The standard of football at the Engen Champ of Champs was the highest we’ve experienced this year. It’s a tournament of all the best teams from around the country, so there was no doubt that it would be challenging. The tournament was played over three days and we needed to rotate 20 players over seven matches. It’s always diffi- cult, especially in high altitude and hot conditions…
“But this squad has been training and playing five days a week throughout the year, so I had no worries about being able to compete throughout the tournament. The benefit of being challenged in so many matches is that the players were tested to their limit and they learnt not to take any moment in a match for granted.”
The glory bestowed on the city via the Ajax under-17s also resulted in praise from the DA in the Western Cape.
“This is a huge inspiration for young footballers across the province,” said Ricardo Mackenzie, the DA’s Western Cape spokesperson on Cultural Affairs and Sport.
“Ajax have once again proven their excellence at developing the best young footballers in the country. We are impressed by the club’s investment in youth development… Sport can play an instrumental role in giving youth hope and opportunities to grow, and this is exactly what Ajax is contributing to.”