After recently winning the provincial leg of the Kay Motsepe Schools Cup for the fifth time, Coach Justice Matloga of Benny’s Sports Development Academy is aiming for more silverware - this time also the huge R1 million purse as the winner of the national finals.

The event will take place from 3 to 5 October in Gauteng.

Matloga has coached all five teams to victory and admits that every year is challenging. “Each year is a different experience. We never know what to expect as it is not like we have a winning formula for every match,” he said.

This year’s team is a young one, made up of mainly 17-year-olds. Matloga said the idea was to give them some experience in the competition. “They will have three years to cut their teeth in this tournament, which is excellent exposure for them,” he said.

He added that the dedication of the youngsters surprised him. "They did exceptionally well in this tournament, and I know that they will continue to surprise me even further at the nationals. Last year, the team struggled in the finals and were eventually placed 11th in the tournament.

“Winning the nationals has been long overdue. We started playing in the tournament a long time ago and this year our primary goal is to win the national title. These young players have the energy and the hunger for success.”

Matloga is well aware of what the nationals are all about and admits that it is a different ball game compared to the provincials. “The competition is tighter and the standards are extremely high. Then there are scouts from the clubs there, which all adds pressure on the boys as they have to perform.”

Coach Matloga has been at Benny’s for 11 years now, and his philosophy is to enter all the teams into as many different soccer tournaments as possible to make sure that the players gain practical knowledge of the game. "We identify players from the U/12 age group and nurture them as they progress through the various age groups to ensure that they develop good habits and are well disciplined,” he added.