The second edition of the RND Beach Soccer Festival concluded over the weekend at Hanganeni Recreational Park in Mondesa, Swakopmund, bringing together teams from across the community for an action-packed celebration of beach soccer.
The tournament featured 12 teams in the men’s competition and 10 teams in the women’s category. According to the main organiser, the festival was established to bring the beach experience closer to the community while keeping young people actively involved in sport and away from drug and alcohol abuse.
The event once again demonstrated the power of sport to bring communities together, encourage healthy recreation and provide young people with positive opportunities. The organisers congratulated all participating teams, players, officials, supporters and volunteers who contributed to the successful staging of the second RND Beach Soccer Festival.
In the women’s competition, Desert Queens FC were crowned champions after edging Dreams In A FC 3–2 in the final, with Desert Foxes FC finishing third.Desert Queens received N$10 000 for their victory, while Dreams In A collected N$5 000 as runners-up and Desert Foxes pocketed N$2 500. The women’s individual awards saw Vihemba Munekova of Desert Foxes and Aina Shiningayamwe of Dreams In A share the Top Goal Scorer award after scoring five goals each.
Caresy Tjikongo of Desert Queens was named Player of the Tournament, while teammate Sarafina Khuruses was awarded Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
In the men’s competition, Smart Guys FC emerged as champions of the second edition, with Fathers United FC finishing runners-up and Fantasy Beach FC taking third place.
Smart Guys received N$10 000, while Fathers United earned N$5 000 and Fantasy Beach collected N$2 500. Smart Guys’ Primarco Hoeseb was the standout performer in the men’s category, winning both the Top Goal Scorer and Player of the Tournament awards. His teammate Matty Uushona was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
The successful festival highlighted the growing appeal of beach soccer in the community while reinforcing sport’s role in youth development, healthy recreation and community engagement.
By Rudi Bowe
