Soccer players honoured during club awards

The Zandspruit-based football outfit, which plays under the Mogale City Local Football Association, hosted its 5th annual sports awards ceremony on 10 December.

Coach Proud Shoko and Dieketseng Makae coordinated the presentation of the awards.

Hard work and dedication paid off to a score of Golden Drifters Football Club Academy players who were honoured for their incredible display during the season.The Zandspruit-based football outfit, which plays under the Mogale City Local Football Association, hosted its 5th annual sports awards ceremony on 10 December.

Golden Drifters FC players and Dieketseng Makae celebrate the achievements at the awards venue.

It was clear that the awards were much anticipated, as the communities of Zandspruit and Cosmo City, including parents of the players, turned up in large numbers at the Good News Convention Centre in Muldersdrift to support this prestigious event.

“The whole event is about the children. We are here to empower them, especially since most hail from the outskirts of Zandspruit, Cosmo City and Muldersdrift. The event is basically to award them for the hard work that they’ve put in this year,” said Proud Shoko, who is the founder and coach of the academy.

The players, who were dressed in their finest suits and casual wear, were rewarded for their outstanding performances in both the leagues and various tournaments.

U/17 player and awardee Siyabong Nkosi thrilled the crowd with his dance moves at the venue.

Shoko indicated that the boys excelled throughout the year, with the U/17s being crowned as champions of the league and other divisions as runners-up.

“The boys did very well this year. Our U/13s and U/15s finished second in the league and our U/17s scooped their league – they are the champions of this year. We also had one boy selected to play for Platinum Stars and another who was chosen to play for Panorama Football Club,” a delighted Shoko explained.

Best Players of the Season, Player’s Player award, Most Improved Player, Top Goal-scorer and Captain of the Season were some of the elite awards presented to players from the U/11s to the U/17s during the event.

A vibrant Ntando Ntwanambi, the captain of the U/11s, was one of the most called-out recipients at the awards, walking away with both the U/11 Best Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Year, an award voted for by the player’s teammates.

Ntando Ntwanambi proudly displays his accolades after the Golden Drifters FC awards. 

Phoko, who facilitated the occasion along with Dieketseng Makae who was the programme director, explained why they will continue hosting these awards despite challenges. “It’s only through this event that we have seen the growth of these young footballers. As an organisation that deals with sports we have managed to change so many children’s lives and transform them into better players using our own limited resources and funds,” he said.

Since Zandspruit, Cosmo City and Muldersdrift are affected by all sorts of socio-economic challenges, Shoko thanked the parents for their unwavering support of their children’s future at the academy.