…through annual high school tournament
Moroke Sekoboto
INSURANCE giant, Alliance Insurance Company, is continuing its commitment to developing young soccer talent in the country through its annual high school soccer tournament.
Now in its fourth year, the Alliance High School Soccer Tournament brings together 16 schools from four districts – Leribe, Berea, Maseru, and Mafeteng – to compete for the championship.
The tournament this year begins this weekend with district-level competitions, where each district will determine its representative for the national finals.
The four district winners will then face off in the final matches, though the date and venue are still to be determined.
Alliance has invested M250,000 into organizing and running the tournament, which covers administrative costs, prizes, equipment and soccer jerseys.
During a press conference this week, Alliance said it sees the tournament as an important platform for identifying promising young players who can potentially advance to the country’s premier league and national teams.
“We continue to promote and be involved in this tournament in the hope that it acts as a scouting ground for premier league teams to find new talent,” said Limakatso Mokobocho, Alliance’s Public Relations and Corporate Communications Manager.
“We don’t just nurture the young players but develop them to potentially play for the national teams as well.”
The district-level matches are scheduled for this Sunday, with Berea playing at Assumption High School, Leribe at Leribe English Medium High School, Maseru at LCS Ground, and Mafeteng at Leshoboro Stadium.
Meanwhile, LISA President, David Khohleli, has expressed his gratitude to Alliance Insurance for their immense contribution towards the development of football in the country.
“We are proud of our partnership with Alliance because we embrace and nurture new talent. We have produced a good number of players who play in the topflight because of this partnership,” Khohleli said.
In addition to sponsoring the high schools’ soccer tournament, Alliance is the main sponsor for premier league top teams Lioli, Matlama, LCS and Linare, contributing to the growth of Lesotho football.
Khohleli called on Basotho to support Alliance, enabling the insurance company to continue making positive corporate social investments in the country. The tournament winner will receive M7,500, while the runners-up will get M5,000. The third and fourth-placed teams will each earn M2,500.
