Local soccer side, Grocott’s Mail Eleven Attackers made it into the finals of the South African Football Association (Safa) Cacadu Top 8 soccer competition.
The Top 8 competition saw the top eight placed teams in the Cacadu league, 2008/2009 season, from both streams, taking part in Jeffrey’s Bay over the past weekend.
Local soccer side, Grocott’s Mail Eleven Attackers made it into the finals of the South African Football Association (Safa) Cacadu Top 8 soccer competition.
The Top 8 competition saw the top eight placed teams in the Cacadu league, 2008/2009 season, from both streams, taking part in Jeffrey’s Bay over the past weekend.
Safa introduced a quota system which was enforced at the beginning of the 2009/10 season. With the SAB League the rule says a team may not have less that five U21 players in a match.
This was as a result of clubs failing to develop players. The rule was also enforced at the Top 8 competition. The event was held over two days, from 16 to 17 January.
Teams taking part were: Hooke Wits (Jeffrey’s Bay), Everton (Aberdeen), United brothers (Addo), Black Pirates (Addo), Eleven Attackers (Grahamstown), Teenagers (Kenton-on-Sea), JB Milan (Jeffrey’s Bay) and Black Tigers (Alexandria).
Eleven Attackers beat Teenagers 5-2 in the first round, before beating Black Tigers 1-0 in the semi-final, where they faced Black Pirates.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw, before penalty shootouts, which was then won by Black Tigers by five goals to four. Ross Ginise, secretary of the Cacadu league said: “People should never underestimate the standard of football in our regions.
My observation is that the U21 quota that was introduced by SAFA in the SAB League is beginning to bear fruit”. Ginise said that most of the players that performed well in the Top 8 competition were from the U21 age group.
The overall winners were awarded R8 000 and a floating trophy and gold medals. Second place winners received R6 000 and silver medals, third R4 000 and fourth R2 000.
