SFC X-Mas Cup soccer tournament in full swing

Social competitor’s kick-off with top performances
Otis Daniels_Finck
Swakopmund ∙ Kevin Santy



The annually hosted SFC X-Mas Tournament is back!

After 65 years, the long Christmas tradition which allows both amateurs and professionals to showcase their skills on the Swakopmund Football Club grounds is still going strong as the oldest tournament of its kind in the country. The event offers an opportunity for soccer teams from all over the country to showcase their skill in the off-season and promotes soccer.

The first day of the competition on Sunday, 26 December, was reserved for the Social Division teams and saw 34 goals were scored in 12 games. Players from all over the country gather to celebrate the sport of soccer as the ultimate vacation getaway. Competing teams even include players from Germany.

Monday saw the League Division teams in action with teams from both divisions taking to the field on Tuesday and Wednesday. The action kicks off at 08:00 in the morning.

On the first day of the competition, Leeds already managed to pull off a whopping 5:0 victory against Thrashers FC. One would be mistaken however to believe that the social teams provide a lesser spectacle. The team members are eager to compete and include well-seasoned players in the pursuit of the prestige title and the bragging rights which accompanies it.

Neither the home team SFC Social nor the fan favourites and defending champions Sparta United FC wanted to leave the field without glory. The Walvis Bay-based team Sparta was able to snatch the title last year after a penalty shootout but struggled on the first day of this year’s edition. Performing below expectations, they were not able to score against Germania. To the luck of Sparta, Germania wasn’t either in top form, but to their demise, ASC Göttingen was very capable of hitting the back of the net. The European team consisting mostly of German volunteers and students dealt a devastating blow to the title holders in a 3:0 victory.

Acclimated mostly to forests, Göttingen was able to adapt to the desert with its windy dunes and left the field undefeated. An attribute shared with the SFC home team they have not encountered yet, as the two teams were the leaders of their respective groups. Perhaps they will be in the finals on 29 December. The outcome of this game will be highly dependent on who gets more rest the night before, considering the Night Market will launch an after-party with musical guests Savannah Collins and Riaan Smit. AS Koma, who is also in group one, was able to win two games just like the SFC. The victories included a spectacular 4:1 performance against Chaos United FC.

Make sure to witness the outcome of the Christmas Cup from 1956 for just 20 N$ on the SFC grounds before the countdown for the tournament goes back to another 361 days.