The Bayhill Premier Cup LOC have put all hands to the pump for 2022, which has sparked the interest and enthusiasm from teams all over the country after the tournament had been cancelled for the past two years due to Covid-19 and lock-down restrictions.
The Bayhill Premier Cup 2022 will be held at Erica Park in Belhar from 13 to 18 April.
The last full organisation of the Bayhill tournament was in 2020, when after a spectacular launch with the announcement of participating teams and fixture draw, the tournament was abruptly halted by Covid-19 regulations.
Similarly in 2018, the tournament was cancelled due to the drought in the Western Cape, and the Bayhill Tournament LOC was in full support of the City of Cape Town, a long-standing tournament partner.
This year however, the official go-ahead has been given to showcase the tournament again.
All local qualifying teams from 2020 will automatically qualify for 2022 as per the Play-off standing in 2020. Since there were no play-offs for 2021 or 2022, this was the logical route to go.
All visiting teams from 2020 would have first option to participate, with play-offs replaced by stand by visiting teams initially. Any teams which fall off before the communicated cut-off date will be replaced by the local stand by teams as per play-offs in 2020.
The tournament remains an under-19 tournament and all eligible participants need to be in possession of a 2022 players card and South African ID or passport, and be born no earlier than 2020.
With the distresses of the past two years in mind, the LOC have made an interesting concession for this year’s event. They will allow the participation of three players no older than 21 as an inclusion in the 20-player squad. This is however not compulsory and participants must be born no earlier than 2001.
The football and tournament format remains the same, as far as restrictions allow. Protocols and regulations will be communicated.
