Getting to grips with the rigours of international football was the biggest lesson his players took away from their recent trip to compete in the Dana Cup in Denmark, Keep Active Sports Development head coach Lwazi Sahula said.
Sahula and three technical team members accompanied a squad of under-17 boys to the world-famous youth football tournament in July, in Denmark, where they competed against some of the top youth sides from around the globe.
Having lost their opening game, the Keep Active side rallied to win their next two to end second in their group and advance to the last 16 in their debut appearance at the event.
There they went up against the competition’s defending champions and Danish side Vidar FK1, but despite holding their own for most of the match, it was not to be as they went down 1-0.
Sahula said competing in their first international tournament was an experience the boys would not forget.
“For our boys to go from playing in our local LFAs to playing on the international stage was a huge step for them, a real eye-opener.
“Despite all the challenges they faced, they managed to rise to the occasion.
“I think we lost our first match because we wanted to go toe-to-toe with them, but we soon realised that if we were to play that way, we would come off second best.
“They knew we needed to play our own brand of football.
“The boys grew in confidence thereafter, they were a lot more focused in the matches that followed because they knew what they were up against,” Sahula said.
After all the excitement leading up to the tournament, the opening defeat was a reality check for the team, Sahula said.
“What made our performances admirable was that we are a team who never really played together as an XI.
“While most of the boys are based in Gqeberha, we have a few scattered across the Eastern Cape, so it was difficult to get everybody together as a team for training camps.
“We also train on a five-a-side field as we do not have the facilities to be able to use a full field, so we could not play full-sided practise matches and friendlies in preparation for the competition,” he said.
Sahula said the main objective was to secure their own facilities from which to base their operations.
“[Our aim is] to acquire a facility that would cater for our boys, something where we focus not only on their football, but also make sure they are succeeding academically, and in so doing, we would be able to increase the number of players looking to join our academy.
“Second, the hope is that we can travel overseas to participate in tournaments on an annual basis.”
HeraldLIVE
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