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Shimlas set to go head-to-head with Ikeys in the Varsity Cup final

19 April 2024 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Francois van Vuuren

Varsity Cup Shimlas — The FNB UFS Shimlas are confident to emerge victorious as they prepare to go against the FNB UCT Ikeys in FNB Varsity Cup final.

The FNB UFS Shimlas are confident of securing a win in the 2024 FNB Varsity Cup final as they prepare to take on the FNB UCT Ikeys at the University of the Free State (UFS) Shimla Park in Bloemfontein on 22 April 2024 at 19:00.

This marks the first time since 2015 that the final is being hosted at Shimla Park. As such, the Shimlas hope to use this home ground advantage to emerge victorious.

Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS, says he commends each player for their dedication, resilience, and sportsmanship throughout the season. “I will be cheering on the team – their efforts and commitment have already made us proud, and we look forward to supporting them on home ground. We are also immensely grateful to the coaching team for their support to the Shimlas. Good luck to the team, and know that every fellow Kovsie is behind you,” says Prof Petersen.

The Shimlas advanced to the final after a 38-24 win over the FNB Maties in the semi-finals held at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch on 15 April 2024. According to André Tredoux, Head Coach of the FNB UFS Shimlas, this is a tremendous win for the team, as the FNB Maties have only lost ten times in the history of the FNB Varsity Cup when playing at home. In addition, he credits Assistant Coaches Melusi Mthethwa and Tiaan Liebenberg’s hard work for the success of the team up to this point.

The mindset of the UFS Shimlas heading into the final

According to Tredoux, the team assumes a new approach and mindset in preparation for each game. In the semi-finals, the team adopted the motto ‘breathe to succeed’, which helped align the focus and attitude of the team in the game. However, as the final approaches, he indicates that, “The big thing going into a final is to stick to our processes with our intensity, and then also for the medical team and the strength and conditioning team to get the team healthy”.

In addition, Tredoux encourages the UFS community to show up in their numbers to support the FNB UFS Shimlas. “The technical team will have a good plan and the players are ready to play with everything for the Cup. We have the firepower to do it with the support of the Kovsie students,” Tredoux expressed. He also highlights that those in attendance can expect a great atmosphere and some ‘awesome rugby’. This is because the FNB UFS Young Guns will also battle the FNB NWU Young Guns at Shimla Park on 22 April 2024 from 15:30.

Those interested in seeing any of this action can still purchase their tickets on the Varsity Cup website here.

News Archive

Another boost for sport at the UFS

2005-10-13

A contract formalizing the appointment of Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd was signed by Prof Verschoor and Mr Morne du Plessis in the historic Main Building of the UFS Bloemfontein campus.

The University of the Free State (UFS) has officially appointed Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd, which has former Springbok rugby captain Morné du Plessis as managing director, to manage its Centre for Exercise and Sport Science Services (CESSS) on the Bloemfontein campus.

According to Prof Teuns Verschoor, Vice-Rector: Academic Operations, the appointment of Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd is another step in the implementation of the UFS’s wide-ranging sport strategy to improve sport facilities and elevate formerly marginalized sports such as soccer, hockey, netball, tennis etc.

Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd is the manager of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa and coordinates and manages the national basketball high-performance programme of SA Basketball, as well as the Boxing Academy on behalf of Boxing South Africa.

“It is also actively involved with the sports plans of several tertiary institutions like that of the University of Johannesburg and the University of Stellenbosch,” said Prof Verschoor.

“Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd was also appointed by the Ministry of Sport and Recreation to manage the allocation of sports codes to high-performance centres and to oversee the allocation of monies received from the National Lottery to these centres – this includes the CESSS at the UFS,” Prof Verschoor added.

In unfolding its national sports plan, the Ministry of Sport and Recreation has already identified the UFS-based CESSS as the high-performance testing centre for the national basketball teams whilst the national boxing teams are also earmarked to be trained at the UFS.

“We are glad to be associated with a company of this stature and look forward to work with them in the further development of sports at the UFS,” said Prof Verschoor.

According to Prof Verschoor, the CESSS will act as a centralised body that is responsible for the coordination and management of joint initiatives between professional service providers, research projects and KovsieSport.

“The centre will also coordinate and manage joint initiatives between various academic programmes in different academic subject fields such as sports medicine, bio kinetics, physiotherapy, dietetics, etc. ,” said Prof Verschoor.

These initiatives will help the UFS to become a centre and catalyst of sports development, to become internationally recognised in the field of exercise and sports science research and to become a centre for high quality sports performance enhancement.

Some of the objectives of the CESSS are:

To provide sports science services like to athletes, students, the general public and other stakeholders including certain national sport teams.
To provide the necessary teaching and training facilities and internship opportunities for UFS students in sports related fields of study will also be provided by the centre like human movement science.
To present skills-transfer programmes directed at the broader community like development of skills in various sporting codes.
To continue and extend the current chronic risk reversal programmes presented by the Department of Human Movement Science such as obesity management, cardiac rehabilitation and other lifestyle related conditions.

The centre was founded in 2003 and was until now managed by Dr Louis Holtzhausen, from Kovsie Health and a consultant, Dr Gary Vorster.

A contract formalizing the appointment of Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd was signed today by Prof Verschoor and Mr Morne du Plessis in the historic Main Building of the UFS Bloemfontein campus.

The manager of the centre appointed by Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd is Mr Charles Store, an alumnus of the UFS, previously employed at the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town and by the SANDF at 3 Military Hospital, Bloemfontein.

Media release
Issued by: Anton Fisher
Director: Strategic Communication
072-207-8334
12 October 2005

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