The highly successful Siverstar Soccer Stars development programme kicked off the year with the season’s opening tournament on Friday, 9 and Saturday 10 March.

Now in its third year, Silverstar Casino’s Soccer Stars programme continues to impact surrounding communities in a positive way and has become part of the sports calendar in these communities. It receives great support and eager participation from the learners and their coaches.

The programme imparts life skills such as discipline, time management and responsibility to the young learners and encourages healthy living, nutrition and fitness.

More than 800 primary and secondary school learners and their coaches from 58 schools in the Swaneville, Munsieville and Kagiso areas on Johannesburg’s West Rand competed. The tournament incorporates children from the 11 to16-year-old age groups.

League matches are held weekly on Wednesday afternoons in all three communities to accommodate all three age groups. These matches culminate at the season’s closing tournament in September 2012. A full soccer kit – including team colour shorts, shirts and socks, as well boots, goalkeeper gear and shirts for the coaches - is provided to each player and each team takes personal responsibility for ensuring that their kit is well taken care of.

“Learners, teachers and coaches have come to realise the programme is here to stay and attendance and active participation from them are increasing every year,” says Johannes Radebe, human recourses manager and head of corporate social investment (CSI) at Silverstar Casino.

The top 30 players of each age group in U12, U14 and U16 compete from September to November and in November the top 18 players are announced. These top 18 players from each age group form the Silverstar Soccer Stars and each team is submitted into the SAFA Rand Central leagues the following year.

“We look forward to building on our success of the last two years and to continue making a long-lasting difference in these communities," says Shane Collinson, director of operations and complex general manager for Silverstar Casino.

The Silverstar Soccer Stars programme is a successful collaboration between Silverstar Casino, Dreamfields Project, the Gauteng Department of Education ato impact and change the lives of young people.

This is a comprehensive development programme that does not only involve tournaments.  “We look at the full school calendar year as an opportunity for development, starting with the tournament. The youngsters’ love and passion for soccer is used to build strong and healthy communities of tomorrow,” says Shanda Paine, group CSI manager for Tsogo Sun.

Additional information:
In order to ensure the sustainability of this tournament, Silverstar Casino provides transport to the schools on an ongoing basis thereby giving the teams every opportunity to attend all their league matches.

Staff from Silverstar Casino volunteer s a considerable portion of their spare time throughout the season to interact with the various schools to ensure the success of this tournament and this has also had a great impact on the success of the programme.

Opening and closing times:        Wednesday 21 March 11h00am - 21h00pm Thursday 22 March 16h00am - 21h00pm Friday 23 March 16h00pm - 21h00pm Saturday 24 March 11h00am - 21h00pm Sunday 25 March 11h00am - 21h00pm

Entertainment Schedule: 21 - 25 March (1.11MB)

Silverstar Casino is proud to announce that it will play host to the first ever Lekker Life Fees from 21 to 25 March 2012 and that it will debut a brand new children’s production by renowned director Janice Honeyman.

The Lekker Life Fees is a celebration of local talent and combines food, entertainment and creative living. “Silverstar Casino is honoured to create a platform for local talent to showcase their work and this fantastic festival promises to be an annual event on the entertainment calendar,” says Shane Collinson, director of operations and complex general manager.

Festival-goers will be exposed to a smorgasbord of entertainment ranging from wine-tastings and cook-offs to art exhibitions and impromptu performances by well-known personalities and unplugged musicians.

The Wine Route exhibition area will introduce guests to a fine selection of the best South African wines accompanied by olives and a vast selection of local cheeses, mezzes and a variety of freshly baked breads. Visitors will be able to purchase directly from the estates on exhibit.

Food theatres will entertain guests with demonstrations and cook-offs, celebrity appearances, competitions with amazing prizes up for grabs, and a host of cooking theatrics.

A food market, reminiscent of a laid back street market, will offer homemade delicacies such as koeksisters and ginger beer, fresh market products and a selection of local beer. Snowflake will be entertaining children with cooking demonstrations while freshly brewed coffee aromas will be wafting from the Wiesenhof exhibit where coffee aficionados will be treated to talks about the history of coffee.

Artistic students from the Tshwane University of Technology will be showcasing their inspiring work at the Heart in the Garden exhibit. Art, sculptures and furniture from well-known and up-coming artists will be on sale and visitors will be able to relax and watch these talented individuals at work while enjoying their favourite blend of tea or coffee together with their choice of delectable treats. Fashion Alley is where fashionistas can browse funky clothing and creative jewellery and shop-till-they-drop.

The Lekker Life Fees is bringing the Bushveld and West Coast experience to the West Rand with an outdoor West Coast beach exhibit located right by the famous Silverstar Casino fountain where festival-goers can kick off their shoes, put their feet in the sand and enjoy fish braais, oysters, crayfish, snoek, prawns, crab and freshly baked bread. Various storytellers and unplugged musical performances will provide entertainment while kookskerm tannies will demonstrate and talk about the traditional way of cooking fish on the beach in true West Coast style.

The Bushveld Boma with its huge fire pit is where visitors can enjoy a traditional braai and potjie with storytellers, comedians, guitarists and unplugged singers entertaining them into the night.

The Lekker Life Fees coincides with Janice Honeyman’s brand new Afrikaans children’s production, Eendag lank, lank gelede…mos, which will be on stage from 21 March to 9 April 2012.

This hilarious play will have the whole family in stitches as it weaves well-loved fairytales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel and The Three Little Pigs together with quick-witted quips and catchy songs. The audience will be transported on a mystical journey into storybook land and may even be requested to lend a hand in saving Little Red Riding Hood from the big bad wolf.

The Lekker Life Fees is running from 21 to 25 March 2012 from 11:00am till 22:00pm over weekends and public holidays and from 16:00pm till 22:00pm during the week. Pricing: R30 per person and children under twelve enters at no cost. Tickets are available from Computicket.

Eendag lank, lank gelede…mos is on stage from 21 March to 9 April, Tuesdays to Fridays as well as Sundays at 14:30 and Saturdays at 14:30 and 18:30. Pricing: R80 for adults (Strike It Rich Adults R64.00) and R60 for children (R48.00 for Strike It Rich kids). Tickets available from Computicket. The play is just over an hour in length.

Visit www.computicket.co.za to book tickets for the "Lekker Life Fees"

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