It’s all systems go for the Belgotex Sport Girls Challenge
Hockey will be in the spotlight on the weekend, with 72 of the country’s top girls’ teams across three age groups – u14, u16, and u19 – converging on Cape Town for the Belgotex Sport Girls Challenge.
The showpiece, which is into its second year, kicks off on Friday, with the action running through to the finals on Sunday.
Matches will be played across eight venues: the Western Province Cricket Club‘s A and B Astros, Hartleyvale A and B, Pinelands High, Rustenburg Girls’ High, and Wynberg A and B.
“Following a hugely successful inaugural event in 2025, which featured 52 teams, the tournament has grown significantly to 72 teams in 2026.
“The competition will include u14, u16, and u19 divisions, with each division made up of 24 teams. These teams will be split into eight pools of three, setting the stage for a fast-paced and highly competitive format,” Chris Gisbon, the Tournament Director, told SuperSport Schools Plus.
The u19 section boasts a lineup loaded with some of the country’s top hockey-playing schools. The defending champions, Paarl Gimnasium, will have their work cut out for them in their title defence. Their first task will be to handle the challenges of St Cyprians’ and Durbanville in Pool A.
DSG Makhanda, one of the country’s leading sides in recent seasons, will duke it out with Rustenburg Girls’ High and Pietermaritzburg’s St John’s DSG in Pool B.
Pool C features Collegiate Girls’ High, whose recent results include high-profile wins over Oranje and Rhenish. They’ll be up against Stellenberg, who won the ABSA Wildeklawer Hockey Tournament, and St Andrew’s School for Girls.
Last year’s semi-finalists, St Mary’s DSG Kloof, will face Garsfontein and Springfield in Pool D, while Waterkloof headlines Pool E. They’ll take on Parel Vallei and DF Akademie.
Affies Meisies will be hoping to emulate what their u14s achieved in last year’s edition, but they will first have to overcome Durban Girls’ College and Fairmont in Pool F.
Last year’s runner-up, Herschel, will aim to go one better, but will have to fend off the challenges of last year’s semi-finalists, Pearson, and York High, in Pool G.
The last trio of teams, in Pool H, is St Anne’s, St Mary’s Waverley, and Reddam House Constantia. It should be a very competitive group.
“With such a structure, the margin for error is incredibly small, and every match will count,” Gibson said. “Teams with ambitions of lifting the trophy will need to be at their very best from the opening whistle, making for an intense and exciting competition throughout.”
The second-year event features a theme, #PlayForHer, which is a campaign committed to promoting female athletes and providing them with a meaningful platform to showcase their talents.
“We are incredibly proud of how the Girls Challenge continues to grow and evolve,” Gibson shared. “Our goal is to create an environment where teams can compete against the very best on an annual basis, while inspiring the next generation of young women in sport.”
The first matches of the u19 section will be between Durbanville and Cyprians on WPCC A, and DF Akademie and Parel Vallei on WPCC B at 08:00 on Friday, 1 May.
Fixtures:
08:00 – DF Akademie vs Parel Vallei, 08:00 – Durbanville vs St Cyprian’s, 09:00 – Durban Girls’ College vs Fairmont, 09:00 – St John’s DSG vs Rustenburg, 10:00 – York vs Pearson, 10:00 – St Andrew’s vs Stellenberg, 11:00 – Reddam Constantia vs St Mary’s Waverley, 11:00 – Springfield vs Garsfontein, 12:00 – Durbanville vs Paarl Gim, 12:00 – DF Akademie vs Waterkloof, 13:00 – St John’s DSG vs DSG Makhanda, 13:00 – Durban Girls’ College vs Affies, 14:00 – St Andrew’s vs Collegiate, 14:00 – York vs Herschel, 15:00 – Springfield vs St Mary’s DSG Kloof, 15:00 – Reddam Constantia vs St Anne’s, 16:00 – Parel Vallei vs Waterkloof, 16:00 – St Cyprian’s vs Paarl Gim, 17:00 – Fairmont vs Affies, 17:00 – Rustenburg vs DSG Makhanda, 18:00 – Pearson vs Herschel, 18:00 – Stellenberg vs Collegiate, 19:00 – St Mary’s Waverley vs St Anne’s, 19:00 – Garsfontein vs St Mary’s DSG Kloof.
