Sports-mad youth will get a major boost. Sowetan and several other partners have thrown their weight behind two soccer projects in which the newspaper is the media sponsor.

Sports-mad youth will get a major boost. Sowetan and several other partners have thrown their weight behind two soccer projects in which the newspaper is the media sponsor.

The first project is Reckitt Benckiser and Metcash's Shona Khona education in sport initiative. Six lucky future soccer stars will be chosen from 90 hopefuls at an event that will take place at the Safa-Transnet Soccer School of Excellence in Elandsfontein, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, from Friday to Sunday.

The six winners will attend a week's training at the famous Sao Paulo Football Club's soccer academy in Brazil next month.

The 90 aspirants from across South Africa will be coached in soccer and trained in life skills by soccer personalities such as Marks Maponyane, Dan Malesela and Mandla Mazibuko.

In the second project, up to 70 corporate soccer league teams will compete for trophies, medals and cash prizes at the John Orr Technikon Soccer Grounds in Milpark, Johannesburg, on Sunday.

Proceeds from this tournament, the Enoch Kegakilwe Charity Soccer Challenge, will be used to support sports development.

Diepsloot, north west of Johannesburg, has been chosen as the area.

There we will nurture future soccer, netball, basketball, handball, cricket and athletic stars.

Named after the late soccer team's leader at the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the charity tournament's partners are the bank, Sowetan and the Aggrey Klaaste Nation Building Foundation, City of Johannesburg and the Diepsloot Sports Forum.