All Girls Festival set to light up Potchefstroom
The High School for Girls Potchefstroom is primed and ready to host the annual All Girls Festival, which takes place in the North-West city from Thursday, 2 May, to Saturday, 4 May.
The festival, which started in 2000, when it was hosted in Cape Town by Wynberg Girls’ High and Rustenburg Girls’ High, brings together the top government schools from across South Africa to compete in a wide variety of sports and cultural activities, with an emphasis placed on camaraderie.
The sports include hockey, chess, cross-country, netball, squash, and tennis. On the cultural front, there is art, creative writing, debating, drama, marimbas, Master Chef, public speaking, and vocal ensemble.
This year’s event brings together 23 schools, with 19 of them set to contest the hockey competition.
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The hockey title holders, C & N Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje, headline Pool A and are favoured to top the standings there. In Pool B, Rhenish looks like the team to beat, although their Stellenbosch neighbours, Bloemhof, might have something to say about that. Both schools’ first teams rank among the best in the country this season.
Last year’s hosts, Eunice High School, who have gone from strength to strength in 2024, will be the favourites to top Pool C, while Pool D, which features only four schools, is the toughest to predict. Paarl Girls’ High might be the call, but Clarendon could spring a surprise.
Samantha Boswell, who is overseeing the hockey tournament, said: “My expectations are that the tournament will run smoothly, showcase the best quality hockey, and not include any form of discrimination.
The event is an opportunity for girls with a common interest in hockey to unite, enjoy the challenges that their opponents pose, showcase their talent, and share in good sportsmanship, Boswell added.
The All Girls Festival was previously hosted in Potchefstroom in 2005, and 2012. Boswell said she is looking forward to the event’s third visit to the city: “My emotions are a roller coaster. I’m excited and nervous, obviously, but excited to say we are the host of the tournament, excited to say that I am in charge of this.
“I’m excited to see the quality of hockey played on the field, the camaraderie created, the meeting of different people and different expertise, and learning from each other.
“I think the best part about the tournament is networking and meeting people from all over the country, from different backgrounds, and with different stories, and all uniting under one front.”
The opening ceremony takes place on Wednesday evening at Snowflake, in Potchefstroom. Then, on Thursday morning, the whistles will sound to get the sport underway. The festivities wrap up on Saturday with the final, which will be followed by a closing ceremony.
POOLS
Pool A: C & N Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje; Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria; Rustenburg Girls’ High School; Pretoria High School for Girls; HMS La Rochelle GHS
Pool B: Rhenish Girls’ High School; HMS Bloemhof; Danville Park Girls’ High School; Durban Girls’ High School; Jeppe High School for Girls
Pool C: Rhenish Girls’ High School; Collegiate Girls’ High School; Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School; St. Michael’s School for Girls; The High School for Girls (Potchefstroom)
Pool D: Clarendon High School for Girls; Paarl Girls’ High School; Wynberg Girls High School; Parktown High School for Girls
