The Thornhill Sports and Youth Development in partnership with MJ Mdekazi Foundation wrapped up their annual Easter soccer and netball tournament at the Thornhill Sports Grounds on April 10 with MK Academy FC (soccer) and Zola Sunbirds (netball) taking home the top prizes.
MK Academy walked away with a whooping R50 000 after beating defending champions and Thornhill darlings Queens Park Rangers FC 2-1 in the final. Rangers went home with R30 000 for reaching the finals.
Netball champions Sunbirds received R25 000, while runners-up Manchester Ladies from Ntabethemba went home with R15 000.
The total prize money of the tournament, including individual awards, was over R200 000 and the tournament was also the source of a significant boost in the economy of Thornhill leading up to and during the three-day event.
This year over 80 teams in both soccer and netball took part in the highly-anticipated event, with teams from across the region battling it out for glory on the field.
Not only was the tournament celebrating its second anniversary this year, but it was also the first time since its inception that almost 200 players came together for the event.
Also, this year the tournament celebrated a new partnership with the main sponsor of the tournament, MJ Mdekazi Foundation, which is named after Mphumzi Mdekazi, deputy chair of Ministerial Advisory Committee on Water Services.
Mdekazi is a former Deputy Chair of the Advisory in Water Affairs. He was a Chief Director at International Relations. He also served as a content advisor to the former Minister of Sport (Rev Makhenkesi Stofile), and he was the political advisor to the Minister of Tourism, Public Administration and Intelligence.
The tournament was also graced with the presence of former international players such as previous Bafana Bafana captain Thabo Mngomeni, Orlando Pirates legends Bashin Mahlangu and Tebogo Moloi and former Malawian international Ernest Mtawali.
The legends selected a team that will be monitored and taken to train with professional clubs in Gauteng with the hope of signing professional contracts.
