Stellenbosch University Partners SuperSport United to develop football talent

Stellenbosch University and SuperSport United Team

At an event dedicated to former president Nelson Mandela Stellenbosch University and SuperSport United Football Club launched a partnership to grow football in the Stellenbosch region.

"This partnership is designed to change lives through soccer," Stellenbosch University Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Russel Botman said at the launch on Wednesday (10 July 2013).

"I would like to dedicate today to Madiba, who demonstrated that sport can unite people."

The event was attended by, amongst others, representatives of Stellenbosch University, SuperSport United (management and players), the Centre for Human Performance Sciences at Stellenbosch University, Maties Sport, the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport and young football players attending a holiday programme at Stellenbosch University.

The new partnership allows the University to extend its existing football footprint and deploy its sporting expertise to develop football at community level.

"The strengthening of football at Stellenbosch University is in line with our vision of deploying sport as a strategic asset in a wider context – it also helps the University to become more involved in communities.

"The Stellenbosch University Football Programme aims to elevate the skills, expertise and prestige of the Maties First Football team and simultaneously to invest in the development of football skills at grassroots level in communities in and around Stellenbosch. In doing so, we want to see social progress," Prof Botman said.

"Maties has a proud sporting heritage and we are turning our attention to soccer in a focused way. Maties Sport will lead us in this initiative, together with InnovUS, the technology transfer company of Stellenbosch University. Congratulations to everyone who put together this initiative and in particular, I want to thank SuperSport United for partnering with us."

SuperSport United CEO Stan Matthews said the partnership speaks volumes.

"Our team's nickname is Matsatsantsa, meaning 'Trendsetters'. We pride ourselves on taking the lead, and we are proud to be partnering with a fantastic brand such as Stellenbosch University.

"The Western Cape has been a great source of talent for football in South Africa and a leading region in the composition of our Youth Academy, the most successful football academy in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) over the past decade.

"This partnership gives us a permanent foothold in this thriving football region. It allows us to phase young footballers into our academy over time. And it combines world-class football and sports-science facilities with top education. That's a value chain we are delighted to be part of and that will, no doubt, produce players that the PSL and South Africa will be proud of."

According to Ms Anita Nel, Senior Director for Innovation and Business Development at Stellenbosch University, one of the aims of the Stellenbosch University Football Programme is to groom the Maties First Football team into a first-class outfit. This will be achieved by means of top-notch administration, team restructuring, improved talent identification and recruitment, investment in coach education and full-time scientific support.

SuperSport United will visit Stellenbosch for part of their pre-season preparations. Training in Stellenbosch is fast becoming a winning recipe, given the town's excellent infrastructure, which includes training facilities, accommodation, sports science institutes and stadiums for friendly matches.

Stellenbosch University has a reputation for excellence in sport, which serves to attract sportsmen and women from diverse backgrounds. The University's sport-related units – the Department of Sport Science, the Centre for Human Performance Sciences and Maties Sport – collaborate to achieve sport-related objectives