SA Freestyle Football Championship
South African Freestyle Football Association (SAFFA) and Hi-Tec crowned the nation’s best freestyle footballer at this championship event.
Turns out, there’s more to football than 90-minute stadium duels, banging top bins, and even red cards. The passion for the beautiful game plus a hearty helping of talent and imagination, birthed freestyle football—the art of juggling and otherwise manipulating a ball without the use of hands.
On 3 August, eight of the most talented freestyle footballers came to show off their talent at the South African Open Freestyle Football Championship at the V&A Waterfront. They competed for a chance to be crowned the nation’s best and given a chance to compete in the African qualifiers later this year.
If successful there, they would then move to the World Freestyle Football Championship.
For the uninitiated, freestyle football is the blend of showmanship, athleticism, style, and, of course, a ball. Tricks, twists, and flips abound as the contestants, hailing from the four corners of the country and Mozambique, battled it out for the judges’ approval and fan adoration.
“Freestyle football is performance art—today is all about artistry,” says Hi-Tec coordinator Casey Crow
The event started slowly, with a few of the ballers warming up in front of the small assemblage of shoppers. But momentum built quickly, and soon the numbers grew, and the crowd transformed from an assortment of curious onlookers to engaged participants who cheered, ooh’d, and aah’d as the participants dug ever deeper into their big bag of tricks. This bag surprisingly included many tricks performed while doing handstands and on all fours. In fact, about 50% of every performer’s routine was performed off their feet.
The rest of the time, they utilised every body part to a mesmerising effect as they wowed the audience with trick after trick. Even the judges, freestylers in their own right, got in on the action, entertaining the crowds in between competition rounds.
The day’s festivities also included a tandem showcase where cooperation was added to an already long list of requirements for a well-received routine. The actual competition consisted of several rounds of 30 second routines, where each contestant was judged by a trio of judges on a number of criteria including control, style, difficulty, and creativity.
But the founder of SAFFA, Ask Mkhize, a former freestyler, likes to keep it simple: “All you need is a ball. You can start juggling and before you know it, you’ll be here.”
Throughout the day, two competitors distinguished themselves as favourites, and by the time the business end of the competition was reached, it was clear which two would be taking it down to the wire: freestylers Emlio and Sipho, from Cape Town and Joburg, respectively. In the end, the trophy, Hi-Tec voucher, bragging rights and the chance to compete in Pulse Mombasa, the African qualifier for the World Freestyle Football Championship, belonged to Sipho.
From endlessly impressive tricks to electrifying energy, the Freestyle Football Championship was an unforgettable celebration of skill, creativity, and pure passion. The athletes left it all on the stage, inspiring everyone with every spin, flick, and trick, and reminding all that the love for the game knows no bounds.
Words by Tshiamo Seape for Letterhead
Photos by Gamza Hoosain