Gothia Cup in Sweden. Omphiwe Coko is a grade 8 learner from Curro’s Meridian Pinehurst School in Durbanville, Cape Town. She has been selected to play football on the world stage, at The Gothia Cup in Sweden from 13 to 24 July 2022.
Fourteen-year-old Omphiwe Coko will represent Cape Town’s Rainbow Team in the girls under 16’s category. It happened after impressing scouts with her talents on the pitch. Her team will join 1700 other young footballers hailing from 80 different countries around the world. Together they will also play approximately 4500 matches on 110 pitches across Sweden. It is part of the world’s largest youth football tournament.
Speaking of her fantastic achievement, Coko says “Being selected means the world to me. This will also be my first time travelling aboard. I am so happy and excited. I feel very privileged to be able to represent the Rainbow Team. Playing football also brings joy to my heart. I hope my selections will encourage others not to give up on their dream”.
Challenging circumstances
Despite the challenging circumstances that usually come with living in a single-parent home in an underprivileged township, Coko has loved football since when she was little. The lack of girls soccer teams in Khayelitsha didn’t stop her from playing.
She began by joining a group of local boys playing soccer in the streets at the tender age of five. She was enlisting in her first proper soccer club, the Morning Stars at the age of nine. Again the only girl.
From here, she joined the girls’ RV United Team for the next three years under the guidance of Coach Vuyo Kayem. He quickly became her biggest fan and paternal role. He encouraged Coko to apply for the Ruta Sechaba Foundation programme. It provides school scholarships and bursaries to underprivileged learners at Curro and Curro-managed schools. Thanks to her sporting talents, Coko was able to join Meridian Pinehurst at the start of this year.
Her big breakthrough came last month when RV United played a match against the Rainbow Team. The Rainbow Team coaches immediately recognised her talent and offered her the opportunity of a lifetime. She joined the team competing in the Gothia Cup. Omphiwe currently spends most days at practices between the two teams. She commutes from Khayelitsha to Clifton for her evening practice sessions with the Rainbow team coaches.
“We are exceptionally proud of Omphiwe’s successes. We wish her the best of luck in Sweden. She is another great example of how important the Ruta Sechaba Foundation initiative is. It not only provide deserving learners with quality education, but also exposing them to opportunities that excel their passions,” concludes Dean Marsh. He is the Executive Head at Meridian Pinehurst.
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