Jeppe hosted the 5th Kensington Community Cup Football Festival this week. This year, for the first time, it was played as a tournament. The eight teams were divided into two pools and they played round-robin games, with the two pool winners meeting in the final.
The day was weather-affected – there was a lengthy lighting interruption – and it rained almost all afternoon, but we got through it and Jules High and Kensington Secondary won their pools and met in the final. Jules edged it, 1-0, to become the first holders of the trophy.
The idea behind the occasion is to create an opportunity for the football teams from the schools in the immediate vicinity to visit Jeppe to play in an organised competition. In the process, the Jeppe boys got a chance to meet boys from the neighbouring schools who they would not normally interact with.
Along with Jeppe, six schools from Kensington and the suburbs around it were involved: Jules High, Queens High, Denver High, Malvern High and Kensington Secondary School were there. This year, the St John’s College Academy team was also invited. It is made up of boys who attend the afternoon and weekend classes that St John’s arranges for academically gifted boys who attend their neighbouring schools.
There were team and individual prizes awarded at the end and all the visiting teams went home with a bag of footballs and a set of bibs, courtesy of MacDonald’s and Forward Zone. DTR Sports sponsored the match balls, and Baldwin Sport International paid for the services of the referees and sent their Head of Soccer to adjudicate the individual prize winners. Jules High School’s Obinna Onovo was named the most valuable player on the day.
Everyone agreed that it was a great success and the players and spectators thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year.