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The Motsepe Foundation is taking its sponsorship of schools netball in the country to the next level as the two winners of the u15 girls tournament are off to Singapore at the end of this year, to compete in an international Netball Schools tournament.
This was announced by Motsepe Foundation Deputy Chairperson Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe at the conclusion of the Kay Motsepe Netball Championships at Hoerskool Bekker in Magaiesburg yesterday.
The two winning schools are Stellenberg High School from Cape Town and Boitumelo High from Tembisa. Moloi-Motsepe says playing at the international level helps young girls grow in the sport and in life.
"Absolutely, being competitive here at home is very important and it's very good but playing at a global stage is phenomenal. So, for our young girls the winners we know today have also won a prize to go and compete in Singapore and it give them an opportunity to interact at a sporting level, with other young women who come from all over the world," Moloi-Motsepe said.
"It inspires them, it helps them grow and it is something that they will grow with as young adults whether they are in the workplace or they are in whatever leadership positions that they will take. We believe that the values that sports bring to them, the values of hard work, the values of having that competitive spirit, and the values of perseverance and persistence will see them right throughout their lives. Hence our support for this sport is very, very key."
More than 6000 schools compete in this tournament annually, with a total of 36 schools coming from the nine provinces making it to the national championships. Previously the prize money was R2 million, but Moloi-Motsepe revealed that it’s now been increased to R4 million with schools getting an opportunity to improve their conditions through this money.
"For the foundation, netball is a critical part of our strategy in lifting up communities. In ensuring that our kids can find other ways of growth and pursuing sports that they love.
Last year we were supporting this netball with about R2 million and we saw the growth of the sport and hence we increased our sponsorship to about R4 million this year and we will continue to support netball for the foreseeable future."
