The School Sports League, a festival featuring multiple sporting codes, is returning after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Spearheaded by the Department of Basic Education, this flagship sporting programme sees primary and high school learners from across the country competing in football, netball, volleyball and softball.
Games take place on Wednesdays.
Tate Makgoe, MEC for Education, launched the Free State stream of the league in Harrismith on 5 May. The final matches are scheduled to be played on 23 September.
This programme is a core part of the development of sport in schools. It not onlymakes provision for the participation of multitudes of learners across South Africa, but also functions as a talent hunting ground for scouts.
According to Makgoe, the provincial department utilises this programme to encourage learner participation in extra and co-curricular activities.
“The aim of this league is to eliminate social ills that hinder the delivery of quality education in schools, identify learners’ talent and expose them to sports-related careers.”
For this year’s edition, the provincial department of education is targeting 550 schools across the country.
Teams compete home and away, with those finishing in top positions qualifying for the finals.
- Ahead of the Netball World Cup, which will be hosted in Cape Town next year, campaigns are being intensified to popularise this sporting discipline in South Africa. Initiatives include SuperSport coverage of the DStv Schools Netball Challenge for U19 players. The global event will be staged at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town from 28 July to 6 August 2023.
