CAF Schools Championship Prize Money Transformed Edendale Tech In Pietermaritzburg
The impact of the CAF African Schools Football Championship prize money investment is continuing to take shape across Africa, with Edendale Technical High School in Pietermaritzburg becoming the latest school to benefit from infrastructure improvements delivered through the programme.
The handover ceremony, attended by KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Sports Mntomuhle Khawula and SAFA dignitaries, was the third of eight CAF African Schools Football Championship Prize Money Handover Ceremonies. It follows the delivery of projects in Ethiopia and South Sudan last month.
Edendale Technical High School won the girls’ category at the inaugural CAF African Schools Football Championship in the 2022-23 season.
The prize money, supported by the Motsepe Foundation, has been invested in upgrading the school following damage caused by a devastating hailstorm.
The project included the rehabilitation of five classrooms and nine toilet blocks, as well as the installation of a new electric gate to improve safety and access to the school.
A multi-sports court has also been constructed, providing facilities for basketball, netball and hockey, while a new grandstand has been built at the football pitch to provide spectator seating. Drainage channels have been incorporated beneath the stands to address recurring water overflow.
The project also includes the provision of a school bus for the school, which has approximately 1,800 pupils.
The investment at Edendale Technical High School forms part of CAF’s ongoing programme to direct prize money from the CAF African Schools Football Championship towards development projects at participating schools.
The Motsepe Foundation committed an initial USD 10 million to the CAF African Schools Football Championship, including prize money and the development of the competition.
The projects already handed over in Ethiopia, South Sudan and South Africa reflect the different needs identified by beneficiary schools, with investments supporting classrooms, libraries, administration facilities, sporting infrastructure and other school facilities.
Since its launch in 2022, the CAF African Schools Football Championship has engaged more than three million boys and girls across more than 82,000 schools.
