Stellenbosch FC will kick off their Premier League Next Generation tournament this afternoon when they face Tottenham Hotspur, and CEO Rob Benadie is grateful for the opportunity.
The Cape Winelands-side have been involved in the last two editions of the tournament and they’ve reached the finals in both events, managing to win the 2022 version after beating Leicester City 7-2 in the final.
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In their quest for a second trophy, Stellies arrived in the United Kingdom, Birmingham on Tuesday after a 15-hour long journey from South Africa to the UK via the United Arab Emirates. They had their first training session Wednesday and no injuries were reported.
“We knew we didn’t have the financial resources to go buy players so you need to develop them and we will continue developing the team — we’re not going to go buy a successful team, we’re going to develop it,” Stellenbosch CEO Rob Benadie told iDiski Times during a recent chat with the South African Football Journalists Association.
“But really [I’m] extremely proud that we’ve got the opportunity again to go play in the UK against some fantastic teams. That’s just not something our club would be able to do, even if we wanted to, we don’t have the funds to do that.
“So it’s an incredible experience for those boys.”
MultiChoice, who are part of the initiative, confirmed that the Stellenbosch matches will be broadcasted on SuperSport Schools App and updates will be shown on SuperSport Blitz throughout the tournament.
Head coach Evangelos Vellios selected his 18-man squad with some members of the team being abroad for the first time and hope to bring glory home.
The match between Stellenbosch FC and Tottenham Hotspur kicks off at 16h00 (SAST), and iDiski Times will keep you update throughout.
iDiski Times journalist Sinethemba Makonco is accompanying the team on their trip and is sure to bring more fantastic stories from their time in the UK.
