Wesley Sneijder, Fabio Cannavaro, Carlos Tevez, Raul Gonzalez, and Mateo Kovacic are among some of the best football players and have one thing in common – before the dizzying heights of fame and fortune, they all started off as ball boys.

Omphile Shuping, one of the North-West University (NWU) Eagles team members taking part in the 2022 Varsity Sports Football tournament, also started as a ball boy for the NWU team during the inaugural Varsity Football tournament in 2013.

North-West University (NWU) Eagles captain Tshepiso Mahlangu did his team and supporters proud when he secured the winning goal in the fourth round of the Varsity Football tournament during the last minutes of a thriller of a game against the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).

The NWU Eagles’ first goal of the game was scored by a header from Thabang Majoro in the fourth minute of the game.

North-West University (NWU) coach Karabo Masehela is confident that the NWU Eagles will bounce back from their third-round loss to the University of Pretoria (UP) in the Varsity Football tournament.

He says the 2-1 loss against UP was difficult to digest. “We had not anticipated such an outcome, but it served as a wake-up call for us. It shows that we cannot relax.

On 28 July 2022, the North-West University's (NWU’s) football team will face the University of the Free State (UFS) in the second round of the Varsity Football tournament.

In the first round UFS defeated the University of Pretoria (UP) by 3 goals to 0. More Varsity Football trophies have been won by UP than any other institution.

The NWU Eagles also rose victorious from the first round, beating Wits University 2-1 on 21 July 2022 at Wits Stadium.

According to NWU coach Karabo Masehela, Luzuko Jevuka's save hands would be the focal point of the defence.

Former North-West University (NWU) and Varsity Football player Xola Mlambo has signed with Premier Soccer League team TS Galaxy for the 2022/2023 season.

Xola was recently released by AmaZulu FC where he plied his trade last season after joining the club from Pirates in 2020.

He will reunite with former NWU teammate and TS Galaxy player, Orebotse Bobo Mongae, who has recently extended his contract with TS Galaxy until 2025.

Xola was part of the NWU team that took part in Varsity Sports first Varsity Football season in 2013.

With the Varsity Football tournament starting on 21 July 2022, North-West University (NWU) coach Karabo Masehela says the NWU Eagles are ready to take flight in this year’s tournament.

Back in 2019, the NWU Eagles made history by lifting the cup for the first time, and while they were performing well in 2021, they never quite reached the heights expected of them as defending champions.

“The boys are really excited about the upcoming Varsity Football tournament and are physically and mentally ready to take the lead,” he says.

by Ontiretse Motingwa

Onalenna Ndlangisa, junior karate coach at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, was chosen at the recent University Sports South Africa (USSA) championship to represent South Africa at the 2022 Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire / International University Sports Federation (FISU) University World Cup Combat Sports in Turkey later this year.

Onalenna, who is currently enrolled for a BA degree in industrial psychology, joined the NWU karate team in 2018.

By Oldrin Masowa

North-West University (NWU) student Itumeleng Sesiko is an upcoming athletic star. He won his first national medal at the age of 10 from Athletics South Africa (ASA) and is now on his way to becoming a professional cross country athlete.

Itumeleng is set to represent the NWU athletics team at the North West Province N12 ULTRA Marathon which will take place on 30 July 2022. On that day four different races will be run, and he will be taking part in the 10 km road race that will start and end at the Klerksdorp Recreation Centre.

Athletes from the North-West University (NWU) had a stellar showing at the recently held CAA African Athletics Championships in St Pierre, Mauritius. It is the third time Mauritius has played host to the event after the 1992 and 2006 competitions had been held there.

The event, which took place from 8 to 12 June, saw South Africa bag 36 medals – the most since 1993. This mammoth tally saw South Africa finish second overall behind Kenya, although the Kenyans bagged only 23 medals.

They know only one road: forwards. They know only one result: winning. The first rugby team of the North-West University (NWU) was crowned as the champions of the Golden Lions Rugby Union Pirates League in Alberton on Saturday, 11 June when they beat Wits 31–26.