Newspaper Cup comes to the fore

THE Namibian Newspaper Cup will this year make its biggest investment in the development of football, when a sponsorship of over half a million is announced at its launch today at Soccer House.

The tournament will be held from April 14 to 17 at the Kuisebmond Stadium in Walvis Bay. The competition that pits teams from all the regions in the country will be held for the sixth consecutive time and is the longest serving event for under-20 players in the country.Each year, the tournament goes to a different town in an effort to bring the excitement of the game to the doorsteps of the respective regions that are taking part.The tournament has already been held in the central, northern, eastern and southern parts of the country and will now move to the west after a successful bid by Walvis Bay.The event is regarded as the biggest regional tournament in the country and has been growing since its inception five years ago.This year, the organisers announced that a total of N$560 000 will be pumped into the event, of which N$198 000 has been budgeted for publicity.The winners’ prize has been increased to N$14 500, while the runners-up will walk away with N$7 250.The winners of the losers’ section will pocket N$2 600.The two semi-final losers are in for N$3 125 each, while there will prizes for Man of the Match after each game.There will be further prizes for Player of the Series, goalkeeper, match official and top goal scorer.Despite organisational hiccups in some tournaments in the past, the organisers believe that with the massive investment, a better-organised tournament with high quality football is expected this year.A popular attraction at the event is the match between Namibia’s Brave Warriors and a team selected from the players at the competition, which is known as the Shadow Team.This year, a total of N$29 568 will be used for covering all expenses of the Brave Warriors when they travel to Walvis Bay for their one-off match.The Shadow Team held the Warriors to a 1-1 draw in last year’s exhibition match at the Mariental Stadium.The tournament was won by Otjozondjupa last year, while Omaheke and Khomas have both won it twice before.Most of the players who have been selected for the Shadow Team have made it further into the premiership teams and ultimately to the national teams over the five years of the event.This is one of the main objectives of the tournament.In addition to being a crowd-puller, The Newspaper Cup also puts emphasis on The Namibian’s social responsibility by contributing to the economies of the towns where it is held.Estimates are that at least N$2 million goes into the economies of the towns where it is held.Because of this, the organisers invite bids from towns for hosting the tournament.Previous editions of the Newspaper Cup were held in Windhoek, Otjiwarongo, Gobabis, Oshakati and Mariental.The competition that pits teams from all the regions in the country will be held for the sixth consecutive time and is the longest serving event for under-20 players in the country.Each year, the tournament goes to a different town in an effort to bring the excitement of the game to the doorsteps of the respective regions that are taking part.The tournament has already been held in the central, northern, eastern and southern parts of the country and will now move to the west after a successful bid by Walvis Bay.The event is regarded as the biggest regional tournament in the country and has been growing since its inception five years ago.This year, the organisers announced that a total of N$560 000 will be pumped into the event, of which N$198 000 has been budgeted for publicity.The winners’ prize has been increased to N$14 500, while the runners-up will walk away with N$7 250.The winners of the losers’ section will pocket N$2 600.The two semi-final losers are in for N$3 125 each, while there will prizes for Man of the Match after each game.There will be further prizes for Player of the Series, goalkeeper, match official and top goal scorer.Despite organisational hiccups in some tournaments in the past, the organisers believe that with the massive investment, a better-organised tournament with high quality football is expected this year.A popular attraction at the event is the match between Namibia’s Brave Warriors and a team selected from the players at the competition, which is known as the Shadow Team.This year, a total of N$29 568 will be used for covering all expenses of the Brave Warriors when they travel to Walvis Bay for their one-off match.The Shadow Team held the Warriors to a 1-1 draw in last year’s exhibition match at the Mariental Stadium.The tournament was won by Otjozondjupa last year, while Omaheke and Khomas have both won it twice before.Most of the players who have been selected for the Shadow Team have made it further into the premiership teams and ultimately to the national teams over the five years of the event.This is one of the main objectives of the tournament.In addition to being a crowd-puller, The Newspaper Cup also puts emphasis on The Namibian’s social responsibility by contributing to the economies of the towns where it is held.Estimates are that at least N$2 million goes into the economies of the towns where it is held.Because of this, the organisers invite bids from towns for hosting the tournament.Previous editions of the Newspaper Cup were held in Windhoek, Otjiwarongo, Gobabis, Oshakati and Mariental.