MultiChoice, in partnership with the Premier Soccer League (PSL), has announced a new soccer tournament aimed at supporting development in both football and broadcasting, the MultiChoice Diski Challenge.
The pay-TV provider says the initiative is a "multi-pronged corporate social investment programme". It includes a football competition for the PSL academy clubs, life skills and leadership development for players, an internship programme to develop broadcasting skills among the youth, scholarships for players and production and a chance for community TV channels on DStv to broadcast the matches.
Imtiaz Patel, group CEO for MultiChoice SA, says the MultiChoice Diski Challenge will expose young players to a range of development opportunities on and off the field. "It will also give young production interns the necessary exposure and skills to succeed in the broadcasting industry."
SuperSport will broadcast the MultiChoice Diski Challenge matches live, giving up to 43 production interns the chance to get on-the-field experience as the crew for the league, says MultiChoice. The interns, 50% of which will be female, will produce live games as well as a weekly magazine show under the guidance of experienced SuperSport production staff.
The interns and the players will also benefit from five fully paid academic scholarships.
League details
A three-year partnership, the MultiChoice/PSL programme's focus is on building the PSL's Reserve League. The primary emphasis will be on fast tracking the club's under-19 talent into their first teams - with clubs limited to include a maximum of three players above the age of 20 in their reserve league teams.
The competition includes a round-robin league format and knockout phase for the 16 PSL teams and will also equip players for life after football through life and leadership development skills as well as exposure to careers in broadcasting by attending a one week career conference at the MultiChoice campus.
The MultiChoice Diski Challenge tournament will kick off with a festival weekend in KwaZulu Natal in September and runs until March next year. The winning team will receive a floating trophy and a trip to Holland for a four-day training camp with the Royal Netherlands Football Association and their top youth coaches, as well as a match against a top Dutch team. The team will also play two friendly games in Germany, home of the FIFA World Cup Champions, against two top Bundesliga teams.
The games will be offered for broadcast to community TV channels that are already available on the DStv platform.
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