National Sales Grooms Soccer tournament (photo: supplied)
While most eyes are on the sales drafts and perhaps some of the peripheral festivities at the National Yearling Sales, one of the less publicised traditions is the annual grooms’ soccer match.
The TBA’s Heavy Mabanga is in charge of organizing the event and explains, “It has been going 6, maybe 7 years. When all the farms arrive, I start to go and ask which ones have enough to play. Some have enough players for a team, otherwise the small studs join together to make a team.”
This year, he was able to put together 8 teams, consisting of Drakenstein (aka AJAX FC), Klipdrif, Lammerskraal Stud’s Red Lions, Mauritzfontein & Wilgerbosdrift, Scott Bros, Hemel ‘n Aarde, Summerhill and Highlands & Maine Chance clubbed together to make up a team.
Well-known owner and breeder Heinrich Rix sponsored soccer kits for the winners and runners up, the TBA sponsored medals for the winning team and Winner’s Bar’s Calvin Haarhof held a braai for all the competitors.
Heavy explains that the tournament was held on Saturday after all the horses had been fed and watered for the evening, kicking off under the floodlights at 6pm and finishing just after 10pm. The competition was structured as a round robin of 20 minute games with each team accumulating points on their final scores.
Drakenstein Stud Farm’s Ricardo Visser with the winning trophy
Summerhill have previously won the competition 3 years running, but last year the honours went to Drakenstein. It was a close contest again this year with Drakenstein and Klipdrif fighting out the final and Drakenstein taking the honours for the second consecutive year.
The victorious team were Mziwethemba, Simphewe, Wilfred, Zu, Zwai, Sibongiseni, Tim, Ricardo, Bryan and Justin, with Coach Tyson and the technical team consisting of Ricardo, Phindile and Vincent.
“It’s fantastic,” concluded Heavy. “Hopefully I am alive to do it again next year.”
