The ambitious schools’ soccer development programme, the brainchild of Bafana Bafana legend and revered coach Pitso Mosimane, has roped in its first cohort of schools it will be partnering with in future to produce future soccer stars.
According to the announcement, made on Wednesday, Curro Holdings, the owners of the private Curro Schools, has been roped in as the first group of schools to join forces with Mosimane in a quest to create “The Player of Tomorrow”.
According to the media release, from January 2023, budding football stars at Curro Northern Academy in Polokwane and Curro Meridian Cosmo City in Roodepoort will acquire invaluable knowledge and perfect their skills and discipline as part of the Pitso Mosimane Soccer Schools (PMSS) programme.
The illustrious former coach of the Egyptian Giants, Al Ahly, launched his coveted training programme earlier this year in a bid to help boost the quality and ability of South Africa’s football talent, which has experienced a decline in Fifa rankings – dropping from 20th in 2000 to 68th in 2022.
“At Curro, we are always striving to complement our world-class academic curriculum with a diverse range of sports, culture, and other extracurricular activities of an equally high standard,” said Fergus Sampson, business executive for Meridian Schools at Curro Holdings.
“Working with PMSS will add immeasurable value to our offering, giving our learners a unique opportunity of learning from coach Pitso Mosimane, a true South African hero. He has dedicated his life to sharing his experience with the youth and his coaching recipe is a blueprint for success.”
The programme aims to guide young African players between the ages of six and 18 to become technically, intellectually, and socially equipped to succeed in the competitive world of professional football.
Mosimane said: “Few people realise that to be a well-rounded football player, you need to have been equipped with the correct foundation at an early age. To foster future talents, we need to train the learners consistently and with the appropriate training programme for their age and skill set.
“Curro’s football vision strongly aligns with this. I am beyond excited to be working with the school to further develop global best practices and training techniques.”
By working with PMSS, Curro hopes to continue enhancing its sporting successes. The independent school group has already agreed to comply with the high standards prescribed by PMSS and has outlined ambitious plans to upgrade its football fields, purchase training equipment and renovate its boarding facilities to accommodate a professional football academy.
“At Curro, we believe that a sport like football teaches learners essential skills such as coordination, planning, execution and teamwork.
“We are especially honoured to have coach Pitso Mosimane join us, not only is he a football hero but he is also a role model to our learners, overcoming pitfalls, keeping his eyes firmly on the prize and dedicating himself to football.
“I strongly believe being taught by someone who has played and coached the game at the highest level, competed against the best in the world and represented his country with aplomb will have a hugely positive impact on our learners,” added Sampson.
Despite being based in the Middle East, Mosimane has a team of talented federation-accredited football coaches administering the programme.
The two schools currently selected for the PMSS partnership will serve as pilot sites, with the programme expected to be scaled to other Curro schools across the country in due course.
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