Lucas Radebe draws the crowds at soccer cup final

Deafening applause greeted the clash between Bopang-Kgotso Primary and Khomanani Primary School (Lucas Radebe's primary school) as they battled it out in the final of the inaugural Aquafresh All-In-One Soccer Cup, which took place at Soweto's Klipspruit/SAFA Simba Stadium on Saturday (21 July 2007). Moms, dads and supporters could hardly contain themselves when U13 player, Nkateko Mawela of Khomanani Primary School scored the winning goal.

Adding to the excitement was the presence of Aquafresh Brand Ambassador, Lucas Radebe, who, fresh from playing in the '90 Minutes for Mandela' game against a World XI in Cape Town, was on hand to greet keen fans. This was a great bonus for the players who were eager to meet their hero and get some tips.

The first match of the day kicked off at 09:00 with 13 knockout games leading up to the hotly contested final at 15:00. Khomanani took home the inaugural Aquafresh All-In-One Soccer Cup floating trophy and a soccer pitch makeover for their school, valued at R25 000. Bopang-Kgotso Primary School came second and won school team soccer kits to the value of R6,000.

Said Glaxo Smith Kline managing director, Heribert Voss, “The final on Saturday was the culmination of the All-In-One Soccer Cup Competition which kicked off in March 2007 and took a roadshow to 80 schools in Soweto. The roadshow, which reached approximately 52 000 learners, educated children about the importance of oral healthcare and went on to explain the entry mechanism of the competition.”

The top 16 schools that collected the most product packs were guaranteed automatic entrance into the competition. “For a change, the U13 teams rather than the First X1 teams at the top 13 schools (which finally participated on the day) were given a chance to show off their skills – and much to the delight of the spectators, they did just that,” added brand manager, Michelle Coleman.