“Making a final decision on the four scholarship candidates was not easy, but I have to say that we have every confidence in the young men that have been chosen. I hope they realise the opportunity that lies ahead as there are many youngsters who would kill to be in their shoes.” said Mtutuzeli Hlomela, AFL South Africa’s Talent Manager

After 6 weeks of intensive hunting on the South African sporting landscape, AFL South Africa’s Talent Manager Mtutuzeli Hlomela and AFL Talent expert Stewart Edge have potentially unearthed a crop of young athletes ready to take the game to the next level.

The 2nd annual footyWILD National Championships held in Potchefstroom recently reinforced the potential of candidates already engaged in footyWILD programs across the country with several young players displaying the athleticism and skill which personifies the modern game.

19 year old Bayanda Sobetwa from Khayelitsha township near Cape Town, was outstanding in a key forward role for Championship winners the Western Cape Magpies, creating opportunities for team-mates at will. 18 year old Thembisile Oupaster is an athletic type from Ikageng township in Potchefstroom measuring 183cm, who showed plenty for the North West over the 3 days of competition and 16 year old Prince Nematswerani (182cm) from Tembisa near Johannesburg displayed an aerial ability and goal-sense which belied his youth and relative inexperience.

Just as exciting though, was the announcement of a new athlete who has never played the game before. 17 year old Chesney Botha from Durban, Kwa Zulu Natal is currently completing Grade 12 at Glenwood Boys High School in Durban, rated by many as one of the top 5 rugby schools in South Africa.

At 184cm and 85kg, Chesney has is part of the Natal Sharks High Performance Rugby program.

“Chesney was introduced to us by Sean Erasmus, Director of Rugby at Glenwood and Head Coach of the Natal Sharks High Performance program – he’s a fantastic athlete and certainly fits the profile of an AIS/AFL Academy player. Stewart and I had a skills session with Chesney and it was pleasing to see how quickly and easily he adapted to the new skills of the game – the lad is a natural who is willing to try something new”, said Mtutu.

As part of the ROAR Talent initiative, Mtutu and Stewart have travelled the country offering kicking coaching to rugby schools as a non-threatening way to introduce another football code to the market-place.

The four candidates are the inaugural winners of the Mtutuzeli Hlomela Scholarship Scheme designed to identify young South African athletes with the potential to play the game at the highest level in Australia.

“Making a final decision on the four scholarship candidates was not easy, but I have to say that we have every confidence in the young men that have been chosen. I hope they realise the opportunity that lies ahead as there are many youngsters who would kill to be in their shoes.” said Mtutu.

“I also would like to thank the AFL for endorsing this scholarship scheme as it gives us a realistic chance of producing potential elite AFL players from South Africa. It won’t get any easier finding ‘the next best thing’ but if we follow the right processes and put in the hard work we will reap the rewards.”

The four lucky youngsters, one from each Province, will travel to Canberra in late November to participate in the annual AIS/AFL Academy Camp where AFL talent scouts will be able to assess their ability against the cream of Australia’s youth.