Meridian Northern Academy clinches the Kay Motsepe Schools Championship
Meridian Northern Academy from Limpopo has been crowned as the premier school this past weekend following its victory in the Kay Motsepe Schools Championship held in Rustenburg, North West.
On Saturday, 28 September, Northern Academy’s U19 boys’ team won the Kay Motsepe Schools Championship in Rustenburg with a 2-1 victory over Eletsa Secondary from North West in the final, pocketing R3 million for infrastructure development. Additionally, the U13 boys team from the same school achieved a commendable third place in this esteemed national tournament.
Established in 2004 with the support of the South African Football Association (SAFA), the Kay Motsepe Schools Championship is the biggest national schools football tournament, uniting both public and independent schools from across South Africa in a quest for the title of school football champions. This year the tournament saw participation from 13 000 teams, representing over 5 000 schools, an initiative jointly funded by Sanlam and the Motsepe Foundation. With a total prize pool of R8.6 million, allocated for infrastructure development, the 2024 competition featured three divisions: U19 boys, U13 boys and U13 girls.
The Meridian Schools group is managed by Curro Holdings. Cobus Loubser, the CEO of Curro, is very proud of the Northern Academy teams.
“These champions exemplify the spirit of dedication and excellence of Northern Academy and underscores Curro’s commitment to invest in the potential of South Africa’s youth,” Loubser said.
Fergus Sampson, Business Executive for the Meridian schools, explained that the school that wins the U19 category nationally will receive R3 million for infrastructure development to benefit the teaching and learning at the school.
“Being part of the Curro Group means that we strive for excellence in everything we do, with exceptional results in academics, as well as in the sports and cultural arenas,” Sampson said.
“Our coaches have been working towards the goal of being the number one soccer school in South Africa for a while now. Northern Academy’s teams have been travelling to Gauteng since pre-season to prepare our teams. It was a big investment of time, energy and funds, but well worth it.”
“Limpopo is a province with exceptional talent, not just in soccer but in many other sports too,” Loubser added.
“Schools cannot always showcase their talent at a national level, but to have our teams come first and third in this competition shows that the talent is here. This tournament gave Northern Academy the opportunity to show that we have brilliant football players.
“We can’t wait to see where the sport will take these youngsters one day. We also wish them all the best with their final matric exams.”
