Greenwood Football Club were crowned the Cape District Football Association (CDFA) Grand Challenge under-10, under-12 and under-14 champs in Wynberg at the weekend.
The under-10B, under-12A and under-14A won the Grand Challenge at the William Herbert sports complex. The under-12A, under-14A and under-16A also won the league, alongside the under-10A team.
The under-18 team finished second to Grassy Park United in their division.
Last month, the under-10A team finished in the last 16 of the Wynberg St Johns tournament after a 1-0 exit to Vasco Da Dama.
On October 5, Greenwood will have 11 teams participating in the knockout semifinals.
Under-10 coach, Quinton Louw was over the moon with his team’s results this year, following hard work from the players and support from the community.
They beat Blue Bells 3-0 in the grand challenge finals.
Reminiscing on the journey to winning the league, Louw said they encountered Ashford, Montague Spurs and RC, who were all vying for top honours.
“The last game against RC was a must-win, as Greenwood, Ashford, and Montague Spurs were all vying for the league title. After conceding two early goals, we equalised before half-time. In a bold move, I switched one of my defenders to forward, and he scored a stunning volley just before the end, securing a 3-2 victory.
“Looking ahead, with five players, including our captain, still eligible for under-10 next year, and the strong talent moving up from the under-8 team, I believe our under-10 squad for 2025 will be very competitive in the Wynberg St John’s tournament,” he said.
The under-12A side won 2-0 over Ocean View and the under-14 squad won 2-1 over Cafda in the grand challenge finals.
Coach Washiem Salie said finishing second last year taught them a valuable lesson that fuelled the hunger to secure the title this year.
He said the system at the club aligned perfectly with the boys’ playing style.
“At Greenwood, we’re trained for big rival games and our focus on keeping clean sheets paid off — conceding only three goals and remaining unbeaten in the league,” he said.
Youth chairperson at Greenwood, Ray Brickles paid credit to the coaches for developing the boys into a team capable of producing high-quality football.
Over the school holiday’s, Greenwood hosted Yeco FC, from East London, for a friendly series at Solo Street, featuring their under-13, under-15, under-17, and under-19 teams.
Brickles wished Yeco FC safe travels back to the Eastern Cape, with the invitation of participating in Greenwood’s Unity Cup, next year.
To top it off, Greenwood’s first division team, led by coach Rashied Hendricks, was crowned the 2024 CDFA League Champions.
