The Sunday News
TILUS Supermarket will next month sponsor an invitational Under-20 soccer tournament at Gifford High School in Bulawayo.
Eight schools from the city are expected to participate in the one-day tournament on 11 July with the two finalists getting a brand new kit.
Tilus Supermarket marketing manager Priscilla Lambert said preparations for the tournament were at an advanced stage with the availability of accolades to be handed out to the teams, while the uniforms should be arriving soon from South Africa.
“Tilus Supermarket is sponsoring the Gifford Tilus Invitational soccer tournament where we are looking at eight schools taking part. We were approached by Gifford and decided to sponsor this tournament as our way of giving back to the society. There are no monetary prizes, there are trophies and the two teams that reach the final will get a brand new kit each. Everything is in place, the trophies are already done and the kit is getting here in a few days’ time,’’ said Lambert.
She expressed hope that hosts Gifford would make it to the finals as one of the uniforms were in their school’s colours.
Besides the two uniforms, other rewards on the day include trophies for both the winner as well as runners-up, trophies for the goalkeeper of the tournament, coach of the tournament and the top goal scorer.
Even though the list of schools to be invited by Gifford is yet to be finalised, it is understood that Milton, Christian Brothers College, Luveve and Mpopoma are some of the teams expected to take part.
The sponsorship of the Gifford soccer event follows the bankrolling by Tilus Supermarket of the Milton High School Invitational Basketball competition at the end of last month.
Meanwhile, the Gifford boys’ Under-16 soccer team gets an opportunity to defend their COPA Coca-Cola title at the provincial finals to be staged at the school on Friday.
Gifford have dominated the schools soccer tournament in the province since 2011. In 2011, they were the provincial champions which paved way for them to represent Bulawayo in the national finals in Marondera, the following year they lost to Luveve in the provincial finals and last year they clinched the provincial title with a 4-3 penalties victory over 2010 champions Mpopoma which again earned them right of passage to the national finals in Mutare, where they were beaten in the quarter-finals by Churchill.
If the Nathan Tshuma coached Gifford manage to successfully defend their provincial crown, they will earn the right to represent Bulawayo at the COPA Coca-Cola national finals to be held in Harare next month.
Masotsha High School will also defend their crown in the girls 17 years and under category at the provincial finals to be held at Gifford on the same day. Last year Masotsha won 3-0 on penalties over Montrose to progress to the national finals for the second year in a row.
