Beach soccer at Swakop a huge success
Beach soccer
The three days of action at the Swakopmund Beach Soccer Tournament drew large crowds of spectators and participants to the Swakopmund Platz Am Meer from Saturday until Monday.Crowds of supporters from across the region celebrated the sport and the local community’s passion for beach soccer.
The highly anticipated tournament lived up to expectations, reflecting Namibia’s growing commitment to youth sports and community engagement, providing an exciting platform for local teams to showcase their talents and competitive spirit.
Brave Gladiators icon Zenatha Coleman, as captain of the female winning team Desert Foxes Green, expressed her pride: “It’s significant for us to win the first female beach soccer tournament in Namibia. I think it’s a great milestone for young players. I hope they go home with smiles and share their excitement with their families.
“My message to the team is to keep up the discipline and continue pursuing their dreams.”
Quincy So/oabeb, captain of men’s champions Topa Lat Ons Gaan, said winning the tournament was an overwhelming honour.
“It was a fantastic experience. The enthusiasm of our players really showed. This was our first time participating in beach soccer, and we hope to see more events like this in the future. It’s a great way to bring people together and have fun.
“The most challenging aspect was the constant running in sand, which is quite different from traditional grass soccer. However, the excitement and teamwork made it all worthwhile.”
Results and honours
In the female division, Desert Foxes Green dominated with an undefeated record, securing the cash prize of N$10 000. Desert Foxes Red (second) and Beachside Bandits rounded out the top three.
Individual awards to Desert Foxes Green players included:
Best Goalkeeper: Moriza Gawanas.
Top Goal Scorer: Zenatha Coleman.
Best Player: Lucia Hillundupo.
• In the male division, Topa Lat Ons Gaan maintained an undefeated streak and won the first-place prize of N$10 000. Key individual awards included:
Top Goalscorer: Damian Muruko
Top Goalkeeper: Ricardo Ngakuzevi
Player of the Tournament: Thomas Andreas
Square7 F.C. were runners-up, while Seleção finished in third place.
To Cosafa and beyond
Ricardo Mannetti, ambassador of the beach tournament, spoke on the importance of making use of Namibia's natural assets creatively.
“We must use what we have. The aim of the beach soccer tournament is to plant the seed for this rapidly growing sport. Namibia’s extensive coastline is a significant advantage, and we need to capitalize on it by empowering the community and educating the youth about this sport.
“Our next step will be to affiliate with the Namibia Football Association (NFA) and possibly elevate it to a national level, or even to Cosafa. This is just the beginning, with big plans to expand and potentially establish a regional league in Africa.”
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