After a thrilling encounter yesterday at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, where the Nedbank Ke Yona Team locked horns with the 2015 Nedbank Cup Champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, Nedbank continues to make dreams happen through its partnership with the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
Nedbank’s Divisional Executive for Group Marketing, Sydney Nhlanhla Mbhele explained that the partnership with the PSL will see 16 of the Ke Yona players being afforded an opportunity to try out at the 16 PSL clubs for a month.
“This is a way in which as a bank for all we constantly seek to follow through in our quest of enabling all in South Africa a chance to make their dreams a reality while we simultaneously go the extra mile in making the things that really matter happen. We wish all the selected Ke Yona players all the best in proving that they deserve to feature in top flight football”, said Mbhele.
The Nedbank Ke Yona Team search is South Africa’s biggest talent identification initiative lead by the experienced selectors of Shakes Mashaba, Khabo Zondo, Owen Da Gama and Mike Mangena.
The accomplishments received over the past years through this football development initiative have been remarkable with a number of players signing with Premier Soccer League and National First Division clubs.
“Through this beneficial partnership with the PSL we hope to see the number of Ke Yona players who participate in topflight football increase drastically. During the Ke Yona trials, we travelled the country and learnt about the great pool of talent that South Africa has to offer.
Nedbank has really taken its football development initiative a notch up and we are honoured to be part of a competition of this nature that contributes to the nation’s football development. We are confident that our boys will shine in all of the respective clubs they have been assigned to”, said Mbhele.
Now in its third successive year, the Nedbank Ke Yona Team search concludes this year’s campaign in a mind-blowing way, proving its consistent commitment in making dreams of all South Africans happen.
“I am overwhelmed and grateful to Nedbank for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity they have offered me.
It really is a dream come true for me, my life has changed forever and it all started at the Rand Stadium when I took that first step in fulfilling my dreams, not knowing that I would be captain of the 2015 Nedbank Ke Yona Team. I wish my fellow Ke Yona graduates all the best and hope that we can all secure a deal with the clubs we have been allocated to”, said Ian Chikohwa.
Players and teams drafted into:
Bonginkosi Shangase (Orlando Pirates FC)
Happy Mahlako (Bloemfontein Celtic FC)
Quade Roskruge (Polokwane City FC)
S’mamiso Gumede (Free State Stars FC)
Katlego Bojela (Maritzburg United FC)
Thabani Mbedu (Lamontville Golden Arrows FC)
Thabo Meko (Supersport United FC)
Nkosinathi Malubane (Bidvest Wits FC)
Thamsanqa Gwabeni (Platinum Stars FC)
Dean Jones (Kaizer Chiefs FC)
Mthetho Manyati (Mpumalanga Black Aces FC)
Phakamani Mtolo (Chippa United FC)
Ian Chikohwa (University of Pretoria FC)
Itumeleng Mogotsi (Mamelodi Sundowns FC)
Jarred Meyer (Jomo Cosmos FC)
Juzeya Rampheng (Ajax Cape Town FC)
