COSAFA CASTLE CUP GETS UNDERWAY

The region’s most prestigious competition, the Cosafa Castle Cup, gets underway again on the weekend of April 28-29 as the top teams from southern Africa battle it out for the trophy.
Again the 12 member countries of the Confederation of Southern Africa Football Associations compete for an 11th successive year in the only regional tournament of its kind world wide.
Zambia are the defending champions but will be tested by perennial contenders Angola, South Africa and Zimbabwe as well as the challengers like Botswana and Mozambique.
Football in the southern African region is showing continual improvement because of the imput of the Cosafa Castle Cup and now heads for potentially its most exciting period when South Africa hosts the 2010 World Cup finals.
Last year Angola went to Germany and participated in their first World Cup finals and Zambia play in July in the world under-20 championships in Canada.
This year’s Cosafa Castle Cup is again divided into three mini tournaments, starting in Maputo, then in Swaziland in May and Botswana in August.
The three tournament winners progress to join Zambia in the semifinal draw after which the competition is decided on a knockout basis.
The Cosafa Castle Cup enjoys a wide profile, well beyond the borders of its member countries.
Live television coverage, unprecedented for a competition of this nature, takes the event into the homes of people right throughout Africa and also into Europe and South America.
The tournament is one of a kind on the international calendar, given that no other regional event can boast a similar longevity or as wide a reach as the Cosafa Castle Cup.
On top of a brilliant competition, the Cosafa Castle Cup also offers record prize money and other financial incentives for the players. Caste Lager has annually increased its sponsorship of the tournament and brought in many innovative premiums along the way.
All the prize money is exclusive of the match costs, which are all borne by Castle Lager.
The sponsors pick up transport and accommodation costs and pay the players a daily allowance. Home associations, who host matches in the Cosafa Castle Cup, keep all the gate takings from their matches, adding to the way that Castle Lager is able to help football in southern Africa.