Welcome to Phuza Thursday Soccer

Phuza Thursday Soccer is a 5-a-side friendly that was started three months ago by a few guys from Kick Off. Today the 5-a-side has grown and more people are joining… it has really kept everyone in shape since Day One. Players have praised the idea as brilliant, a getaway from their girlfriends and wives for 60 minutes.

Every week players are selected from well-known magazines (Kick Off, Sports Illustrated and Men’s Health) to showcase their talent on the field.

“I’m not sure how the original game came about, but after the first two times everyone was raving about it and loving how it was bringing different brands together. So I approached Basil Fortuin and he spoke to the people at the Gianluca Vialli Soccer Centre to offer them a trade exchange whereby we give them advertising space on KickOff.com and they let us play there for free four times a month,” says one of the organisers, Ryan Cooper of Kick Off.

In the twelfth week of Phuza Thursday Soccer, Team Kick Off defeated Dangerous Darkies 11-9 in a very high tempo game. Team Kick Off controlled the game in the first 15 minutes with some superb displays on the field that saw them lead 5-1. However, the midfield maestro Neil Greig came to the rescue for Darkies with a brilliant hat-trick in less than 5 minutes to bring back the game to 5-4.

Gareth Rosslee was the saviour for Team Kick Off at the back and wasteful chances from Darkies didn’t help. The second half was like a rugby match as 16 more goals were scored… making it an entertaining game that was hard to stop even when the 60 minutes of play were over.

“I’m loving the 5-a-side games. It’s a great way to spend time with my colleagues – and with other guys in the company – and it’s really helping my fitness levels too. It’s a great cardio workout, with the added benefit of having a fun time as well. The games started out pretty tame, but over the past couple of weeks we’ve all really picked up the pace, and the games have been pretty intense,” says Mark Van Dijk of Men’s Health.

The next time Ajax Cape Town, Santos or Vasco Da Gama coaches decide to scout for talent they mustn’t go further than the Sea Point grounds. There is talent there and with Bafana Bafana struggling upfront with strikers, guys like Neil Greig and Brendan Cooper (who both netted hat-tricks) should be the answer ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, while they are still in shape and hungry to wear the gold and green jersey.

Keverne Morland from Kick Off adds, “The 5-a-side games every Thursday have really helped me with my fitness. When I first started I could barely make it to half-time without being subbed at least twice, now I’m playing full games. Every week I look forward to playing not just for the fitness but the game is LOADS of fun. There is nothing like being part of a team again.”

After every game players do what is rightfully correct and chill with a cold beer and reflect on moments of the game. It’s a great way to spend a Thursday after four long days of work.

Next game

Teams: Team Kick Off vs Adidas
Where: Hartley Vale (Cape Town)
When: 5 November 2010
Time: 3:30pm
What to Bring: Beers

By Proffesor Khumalo