The Kwa-Zulu Natal leg of the 2010 Cell C Easter Soccer Tournament promises to create much fanfare, when the event kicks off in four townships in the province today.

Hundreds of soccer fans in Newcastle, Esikhaleni, Imbali and Umlazi townships are expected to attend the popular annual games, which will run until Monday 5 April.

"We are excited to once again be part of the Cell C tournament, and appreciate the fact that Cell C is sponsoring grassroots football," says Dumisani Zaca (pic above), organising committee member for Imbali.

"The people of the these townships hardly see such football tournaments and we expects hundreds of fans to come watch the matches."

Over 400 teams are expected to participate in the Cell C sponsored tournaments, which feature over 20 events in seven provinces.

For Kwa-Zulu Natal people, the tournament will also see prominent personalities grace the matches.

"We often have club scouts coming to see the players, so the teams know that they need to produce quality football," adds Zaca. What started as a small sponsorship three years ago has grown into a highly successful event, and arguably one of the biggest Easter soccer tournaments in the country.

"We are excited that Cell C is providing townships and rural players with a mini-WC to local fans. Cell C will definitely reap the rewards in the future for what they are doing with local football," adds Zaca.

This year’s tournament will also see the introduction of the Nike Starter Pack to spectators and players at all the events in the seven provinces. This exciting addition to the Cell C brand offers fantastic benefits and will be launched in a variety of activations.

"The Cell C Easter Soccer Tournament has grown in stature, and we are proud of what the event has achieved over the years. We are particularly pleased that the event creates a platform for community based artists and aspiring professional soccer players to showcase their talent," says Cell C’s Executive Head of Marketing, Simon Camerer.

"The tournament also stimulates entrepreneurship in the communities, with community members being an integral part of each event, serving meals, snacks and drinks to the fans and teams."

With well over R2 million spent on organising the tournament, the event ranks as one of the biggest Easter soccer tournaments in the country. As part of the tournament, teams from seven provinces will be fighting it out in various formats.

Cell C also has created dedicated web and mobi sites, where fans can follow all the action www.cellcfootball.co.za and www.cellcfootball.mobi

Fans can also expect loads of give-a-ways and great Cell C sales activities at the grounds.

Other tournaments will be hosted in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Free State and Northern Cape.

Ends

Issued by: Papadi Integrated Marketing