High school tournament purse increases

NTHAKO MAJORO

MASERU – The Alliance Group Investment Holding Company Limited and the Lesotho Institute of Sports Association (LISA) have increased the prize money for the winners of the Alliance High School Tournament.  This was announced by the Alliance’s Head of Group Marketing and Corporate Communications, ’Makeabetsoe Mabaleha, at the launch of the tournament’s second edition in Maseru on Wednesday.  Mabaleha said this year’s winners will be M7 000 richer than last year’s champs, who won M5 000.

St. Rose High School won the event when it first began in 2022.  “Our last year’s winners, St. Rose High School, received M5 000, and this year’s winners will pocket M7 000,” Mabaleha announced during the launch on Wednesday.  Alliance, on the other hand, has not upped tournament sponsorship, which Mabaleha stated would remain at M250 000.  “Today marks the official start of the Alliance High School Tournament, which is now in its second year. Alliance will once again sponsor the competition with M250 000, with the funds going towards event administration and organisation, prizes, and new playing kits for the four top teams competing in the final leg.

“With this tournament, Alliance hopes to reignite the love of sport among our schools and a sense of oneness,” Mabaleha added.  Mabaleha was certain that Premier League teams would be able to scout talent from this competition in the future.  “Through this tournament, we hope to demonstrate to Basotho that we are serious about the development of Lesotho and Basotho.

“We continue to promote and participate in the hope that Premier League teams will be able to scout new talent through this tournament and give learners an array of opportunities in this field,” he also said.  The tournament’s major goal, according to LISA President Teboho Pholo, is to develop players.  “Our main objective is to develop players, and we recently developed players for big clubs like Matlama, Lioli, and Bantu, among others,” Pholo explained.

He went on to say, “If we have about five players playing in the Premier League, this means we are not only longer developing players, but we are doing more than that.”  On behalf of the four Premier League clubs sponsored by Alliance, including Lioli, Matlama, Linare, and LCS, Thabiso Phethoka confirmed that the tournament has produced talented players over the years, as it had always been there even before Alliance could fund it starting last year.  “There is Mofoka who is now with Matlama, Kabaki plays for Lioli, and Teboho Montlha is with LCS, all are products of this tournament,” he said.

Phethoka added: “Therefore, I am challenging Linare to also scout players from this tournament.”  Mthwalo Mthwalo, a member of the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA), thanked the Alliance for the initiative. “As LeFA, we are proud to have Alliance in this country. We are aware that Alliance has always done a good job of developing players.”  Mthwalo also urged Premier League clubs to take the tournament seriously and send coaches to scout young players throughout the games.

The Alliance High School Tournament is a boys-only football competition.  It will run from May 13 until July 1.  This year’s champions will face defending champions, St. Rose High School, in the Alliance Winter Challenge, which usually takes place before the start of a new Premier League season.  Only the four Alliance-sponsored clubs are eligible for the Alliance Winter Challenge: Lioli, Linare, Matlama, and LCS.  Every year, a new Premier League season begins between August and September. On average, three matches remain in the current Premier League season (2022/23).