The fourth edition of the Kearsney Soccer Tournament kicks off on Thursday and concludes on Saturday in Botha’s Hill.
This year, the tournament features 36 participating schools – 16 boys’ high school teams, 12 boys’ primary school teams, and six girls’ high school teams.
Previous winners
The first edition of the Kearsney Soccer Tournament took place in 2023, with Durban High School (DHS) being crowned the inaugural high school winner after beating TuksSport High in a penalty shootout. Remarkably, TuksSport had thumped DHS 6-0 in their opening match.
DHS returns this year with hopes of reclaiming the title they won in 2023. That year, Hillcrest Primary won the boys’ primary school division, while Edendale Technical High School won the senior girls’ tournament.
In 2024, Pinetown Boys’ High claimed the Kearsney Soccer Tournament trophy, St Mary’s DSG won the high school girls’ division, and Merchiston Preparatory School took home the junior boys’ title.
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In 2025, Pinetown Boys’ High successfully defended their Kearsney Soccer Tournament title by defeating Urban Academy in the final. However, Pinetown Boys’ High will not be participating at Kearsney College this year, missing out on a chance to secure a three-peat.
St Mary’s DSG, though, will have the opportunity to claim the girls’ title for a third successive year. Ashton International College Ballito is the defending champion in the primary school competition.
Top contenders
Among the teams to keep an eye on are DHS, the runner-up at the Kloof High National Football Tournament, and Urban Academy, an established power.
Urban Academy returns to Kearsney intent on going one step further than they did in 2025, when they finished as the runner-up.
This year, the Gqeberha school has already caught the eye in early-season action. In April, they traveled to the Western Cape and claimed the annual Wynberg College Freedom Cup, beating Bishops 3-1 in the final. In 13 matches, they demonstrated rock-solid defence, conceding only three goals. They also scored 35 of their own.
Qhamani Gubevu, who was named the Player of the Tournament at Wynberg, will be crucial to their success at Kearsney.
Earlier this year, Urban Academy also won the Victoria Park High Soccer Challenge in Gqeberha, going undefeated in six matches with nine goals scored and one conceded.
Football is their calling card, and they also host the Super Soccer Schools Tournament, which culminates in the national tournament in August, bringing together all the regional winners.
Urban Academy won the Eastern Cape Super Schools Tournament in style, defeating Ndzondelelo High in the final after scoring 19 goals and conceding once against Lawson Brown High.
In the local Gqeberha Town League, where they compete against schools such as St. Dominic’s Priory, Urban Academy’s record is equally impressive. In six matches, they have scored 22 goals and conceded only one.
They showed their pedigree earlier this year when they took on Grey College in a friendly match and won 3-1.
Overall, Urban Academy has already scored 74 goals in 2026 and surrendered only seven. They head to Kearsney with strong momentum on their side.
At the Kloof High National Football Tournament, DHS reached the final for the first time in 18 years. Ultimately, they succumbed to HTS Louis Botha in a tense penalty shootout. Impressively, their record was clean until that point.
In the Mancosa KwaZulu-Natal High Schools Football Association (KZNHSFA) Coastal A-League, they secured fourth place, behind Northwood and Westville Boys’ High, who played in the final but were defeated by Glenwood in June.
Glenwood has made a good start to the season, and they have unfinished business at the Kearsney Soccer Tournament. Last year, the Green Machine missed out on the quarterfinals in their first participation in the tournament.
They’re in a challenging Group B, facing Urban Academy, Westville Boys’ High, and Ashton International College Ballito. The latter heads into the event as an underdog after finishing seventh in the KZNHSFA Coastal C-League.
The hosts, Kearsney College, have performed well in their home event in the past, which includes a fourth-place finish last year. They’re in Group D, where they face Maqhutshana Secondary, Clifton College, and Trinity House Randpark Ridge.
In the girls’ competition, St Mary’s DSG is the team to beat. Last year, Durban Girls’ High gave them two tough games, with St Mary’s winning both their group game and the final 1-0.
Boys’ High School Teams
Groups
Group A: Durban High School, Khabazela High School, Queensburgh High School, Siyajabula High School
Group B: Ashton International College Ballito, Glenwood, Urban Academy, Westville Boys’ High
Group C: KwaDinabakubo Secondary, Maritzburg College, Northwood, Sutherland High School
Group D: Maqhutshana Secondary, Clifton College, Kearsney College, Trinity House Randpark
Girls’ High School Teams
Ashton International College Ballito, Durban Girls’ High, St Henry’s Marist, Danville Park Girls, St Mary’s DSG, Trinity House Randpark
Boys Primary School
Group A: Ashton International College Ballito, Clifton Preparatory School, Pelham Senior Primary, Winston Park Senior Primary
Group B: Atholl Heights, Highbury Preparatory School, Merchiston Preparatory School, Reddam House Ballito
Group C: Curro Salt Rock, Heronbridge College, Hillcrest Primary, Westville Senior Primary
FIXTURES
High School Boys Competition
Day One: Thursday, 16 July
Field: Stott
07:30 – DHS vs Khabazela High
08:30 – Ashton Ballito vs Glenwood
09:30 – Siyajabula vs Queensburgh High
10:30 – Westville Boys’ High vs Urban Academy
11:30 – DHS vs Siyajabula
12:30 – Ashton Ballito vs Westville Boys’ High
13:30 – Khabazela High vs Queensburgh High
14:30 – Glenwood vs Urban Academy
15:30 – Queensburgh High vs DHS
Field: Roberts
07:30 – KwaDinabakubo vs Maritzburg College
08:30 – Maqhutshana vs Clifton
09:30 – Sutherland vs Northwood
10:30 – Trinity House vs Kearsney College
11:30 – KwaDinabakubo vs Sutherland
12:30 – Maqhutshana vs Trinity House
13:30 – Maritzburg College vs Northwood
14:30 – Clifton vs Kearsney College
15:30 – Northwood vs KwaDinabakubo
Day Two: Friday, 17 July
Field: Stott
07:30 – Urban Academy vs Ashton Ballito
08:30 – Khabazela High vs Siyajabula
09:30 – Glenwood vs Westville Boys’ High
Field: Roberts
07:30 – Kearsney College vs Maqhutshana
08:30 – Maritzburg College vs Sutherland
09:30 – Clifton vs Trinity House
Knockout Stages: Champs Quarterfinals
Field: Stott
11:00 – 1st A vs 2nd C
12:00 – 1st C vs 2nd A
Field: Roberts
11:00 – 1st B vs 2nd D
12:00 – 1st D vs 2nd B
Knockout Stages: Plate Quarterfinals
Field: Stott
13:00 – 3rd A vs 4th C
14:00 – 3rd C vs 4th A
Field: Roberts
13:00 – 3rd B vs 4th D
14:00 – 3rd D vs 4th B
Knockout Stages: Semifinals
Field: Stott
15:00 – Winner 1 vs Winner 4
Field: Roberts
15:00 – Winner 2 vs Winner 3
Knockout Stages: Plate Semifinals
Field: Stott
16:00 – Winner A vs Winner D
Field: Roberts
16:00 – Winner B vs Winner C
Day Three: Saturday, 18 July
Field: Stott
08:00 – 7 vs 8 Playoff Position
09:00 – 5 vs 6 Playoff Position
Plate Final
10:00 – Winner A vs Winner B
Championship Final
11:00 – Winner 1 vs Winner 2
Field: Roberts
08:00 – 15 vs 16 Playoff Plate
09:00 – 13 vs 14 Playoff Plate
10:00 – Loser A vs Loser B Playoff Plate
11:00 – Loser 1 vs Loser 2 Playoff Champs
Girls’ High School Fixtures
Day One: Thursday, 16 July
Field: Osler
07:30 – Durban Girls vs Ashton Ballito
08:30 – Danville Park vs St Mary’s DSG
09:30 – St Henry’s Marist vs Trinity House
10:30 – Durban Girls vs St Mary’s DSG
11:30 – St Henry’s Marist vs Danville Park
12:30 – Trinity House vs Ashton Ballito
13:30 – Durban Girls vs St Henry’s Marsit
14:30 – Ashton Ballito vs St Mary’s DSG
15:30 – Trinity House vs Danville
Day Two: Friday, 17 July
Field: Osler
07:30 – St Mary’s DSG vs St Henry’s Marist
08:30 – Danville Park vs Ashton Ballito
09:30 – Trinity House vs Durban Girls
10:30 – Ashton Ballito vs St Henry’s Marist
11:30 – St Mary’s DSG vs Trinity House
12:30 – Danville Park vs Durban Girls
Championship Semifinals
14:30 – 1st Place vs 4th Place
15:30 – 2nd Place vs 3rd Place
Day Three: Saturday, 18 July
Field: Osler
08:00 – 5th Place vs 6th Place
09:00 – Loser SF1 vs Loser SF2
Championship Final
10:00 – Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2
Boys Primary Schools Fixtures
Day One: Thursday, 1 July
Field: Matterson
09:00 – Atholl Heights vs Highbury
10:00 – Ashton Ballito vs Clifton Preparatory School
11:00 – Curro Salt Rock vs HeronBridge
12:00 – Highbury vs Merchiston
13:00 – Cliton Preparatory School vs Pelham
14:00 – Heronbridge vs Hillcrest
15:00 – Merchiston vs Atholl Heights
Field: Silcock
09:00 – Reddam Ballito vs Merchiston
10:00 – Winston Park vs Pelham
11:00 – Westville vs Hillcrest
12:00 – Atholl Heights vs Reddam Ballito
13:00 – Ashton Ballito vs Winston Park
14:00 – Curro Salt Rock vs Westville
15:00 – Highbury vs Reddam Ballito
Day Two: Friday, 17 July
Field: Matterson
09:00 – Pelham vs Ashton Ballito
10:00 – Hillcrest vs Curro Salt Rock
Field: Silcock
09:00 – Clifton Preparatory School vs Winston Park
10:00 – Herobridge vs Westville
Knockout Stages
Champs Round 2
Field: Matterson
11:00 – 1st A vs 2nd B
12:00 – 1st C vs 2nd A
Field: Silcock
11:00 – 1st B vs 2nd C
Plate Round 2
Field: Matterson
13:00 – 3rd B vs 4th C
Field: Silcock
12:00 – 3rd A vs 4th B
13:00 – 3rd C vs 4th A
Plate Semifinals
Field: Matterson
14:00 – Winner A vs Winner C
Field: Silcock
14:00 – Winner B vs BL
Champ Semifinals
Field: Matterson
15:00 – Winner 1 vs Winner 3
Field: Silcock
15:00 – Winner 3 vs BL
Day Three: Saturday, 18 July
Field: Matterson
09:00 – 5 vs 6 Playoff Champs
Plate Final
10:00 – Winner 1 vs Winner 2
Championship Final
11:00 – Winner 3 vs Winner 4
Field: Silcock
09:00 – L 11 vs L 12 Playoff Champs
10:00 – Loser 1 vs Loser 2 Playoff Plates
11:00 – Loser 3 vs Loser 4 Playoff Champs
