The 2006 Newspaper Cup edition goes to Walvis Bay

THE sixth edition of the popular The Namibian Newspaper Soccer Cup will be held at Walvis Bay during the weekend of April 14 to 17, the organisers announced yesterday.

The tournament will be held at the coast this year because of sufficient lighting at the stadium, while the security is also considered to be of a high standard. A joint media statement by The Namibian and the Namibia Football Association (NFA) stated that they had received two competitive and rather impressive bids from the Erongo and Karas regions, but opted for the coastal side.They said the decision was taken after careful consideration, but the coast had the advantage because the competition has never been held there since it came into being in 2001.Mariental in the Hardap Region played host to the four-day tournament last year, and taking it to that part of the country again was not favoured by the organising committee.The Namibian and the NFA congratulated the Erongo regional executive committee and its partners on their successful bid to host this prestigious tournament.The competition was first held in Windhoek, then at Otjiwarongo, Gobabis, Oshakati and Mariental.All 13 political regions are involved in the competition, with players under the age of 20 battling it out for a handsome cash prize and a trophy.Medals are given to the top three teams, with cash prizes for the man of the match after each game, as well as the player of the series, goalkeeper, match official and top goal scorer awards.”The Namibian newspaper cup features prominently on the annual football calendar and therefore contributes immensely to the development and identification of youth talent.Of significance in this regard, we can proudly announce that eight players of the 2005 Shadows were recruited for the national under-20 side which competed at the Cosafa Youth Games in Durban, South Africa, last year.They were in addition to those who joined the under-23 team a year earlier,” the statement said.The competition has proven to be a big boost for the economies of the towns in which it was held in the past and Walvis Bay stands to benefit from this as well.The Namibian last year spent over N$500 000 to host the cup, which including paying for the accommodation of teams, meals and transport to the venue.The committee stated that they remain committed to the development of youth football through their continued support of the competition.The dates of the sponsorship and the official draw will be announced at a later stage.A joint media statement by The Namibian and the Namibia Football Association (NFA) stated that they had received two competitive and rather impressive bids from the Erongo and Karas regions, but opted for the coastal side.They said the decision was taken after careful consideration, but the coast had the advantage because the competition has never been held there since it came into being in 2001.Mariental in the Hardap Region played host to the four-day tournament last year, and taking it to that part of the country again was not favoured by the organising committee.The Namibian and the NFA congratulated the Erongo regional executive committee and its partners on their successful bid to host this prestigious tournament.The competition was first held in Windhoek, then at Otjiwarongo, Gobabis, Oshakati and Mariental.All 13 political regions are involved in the competition, with players under the age of 20 battling it out for a handsome cash prize and a trophy.Medals are given to the top three teams, with cash prizes for the man of the match after each game, as well as the player of the series, goalkeeper, match official and top goal scorer awards.”The Namibian newspaper cup features prominently on the annual football calendar and therefore contributes immensely to the development and identification of youth talent.Of significance in this regard, we can proudly announce that eight players of the 2005 Shadows were recruited for the national under-20 side which competed at the Cosafa Youth Games in Durban, South Africa, last year.They were in addition to those who joined the under-23 team a year earlier,” the statement said.The competition has proven to be a big boost for the economies of the towns in which it was held in the past and Walvis Bay stands to benefit from this as well.The Namibian last year spent over N$500 000 to host the cup, which including paying for the accommodation of teams, meals and transport to the venue.The committee stated that they remain committed to the development of youth football through their continued support of the competition.The dates of the sponsorship and the official draw will be announced at a later stage.