Top notch sport on the cards
Barry de KlerkWindhoek Technical High School (HTS) hosts the Hennie de Waal Sports Festival this week, with schools from across the country participating.
More than 800 learners are expected to play in rugby, soccer and netball matches, with between 4000 and 5000 spectators expected to attend.
Participating schools include M&K Gertze, Prince Edward Tigers from Zimbabwe, Academia, Dawid Bezuidenhout, Dr Lemmer, Jan Möhr, PK de Villiers, Mariental, Mariental Academy, HTS, Windhoek High School, Windhoek Gymnasium, Noordgrens, Delta, Combretum, Highlands Christian School, St Paul’s College, Highline, Centaurus, DHPS, Rehoboth and Ella du Plessis.
According to Claus Schmidt of HTS, the festival is part of the school’s tradition and they are very proud of it.
“The festival also serves as a fundraising event for the school. The fact that we are focusing on public schools makes the festival so much more special,” he said.
“Most of the participating schools are government schools. It is very important for us to develop netball, rugby and soccer at school level so that the players have a platform to improve their skills. Many of the participating schools use the event to measure their level of preparedness for the season. As a school, we would like to thank Bank Windhoek for making this year’s event a reality,” Schmidt said.
Last year the festival took place at Windhoek High School when it formed part of that school’s centenary celebrations. This year they are back where it all began, and hope to offer players and spectators a weekend of sport to remember.
The rugby and netball matches take place at HTS, while the soccer matches are played at the Academia sports fields.
Entrance is N$10 per person and N$20 per motor vehicle. Learners who attend in their school uniforms may enter for free. Food and other refreshments will be on sale throughout the festival.
The event starts at 14:00 today and ends at 21:00. On 16 and 17 March games start at 08:00 and are scheduled to continue until late. The festival is hosted by the school and sponsored by Bank Windhoek along with Wimpy Maerua Mall.