USSA games 2024: UL Ready to Outgun any Opponent
University of Limpopo (UL) Football team Coach Duke Naka says his team is ready to outgun any opponent during this year’s edition of University Sports South Africa (USSA) games scheduled to take place in the first week of July at various institutions of higher learning in the country
Naka, whose team will be travelling to Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in Port Elizabeth, says they started preparing for the games from the beginning of June, with two sessions per day. “We have a great team to compete and we are ready to give our all as we are not in this tournament to just add numbers.”
On the other hand, Squash players Phethego Tau and Paulina Malebana say that their preparations started in January, with weekday sessions and tournaments in 
between. “We are so fortunate that we have a full team this year. Last year we did not participate due to a lack of players. Almost everyone in our team is new and we are ready,” Malebana informs. Squash games will also be taking place at NMMU.
Meanwhile, Hockey Coach Katlego Ntwampe is obstinate that they are in for a silverware. “We are working very hard. We had morning and afternoon sessions. With the help of Stanford Lake College hockey staff, our goal seems achievable,” states the hopeful Ntwampe.
The Netball team is equally ready to bring the silverware home as they descend to Bloemfontein at the University of Free State. A fervent player, Ronewa Mutobvu says: “We are both physically and mentally fit, and absolutely hope that we will raise the UL flag in Bloemfontein. It is time to rise and shine and through team work, we are determined to win all the games,” she smiles.
The Rugby side is not idle either. They are putting the final tweaks to their USSA games preparations, as they are one of the reputable sides to be feared given their second position in the USSA Rugby log.
Chairperson of UL Rugby, Travisen Mashaba, says the preparations are a stepping-stone for them and they are going to Wits University in Gauteng Province with fires blazing. “As a university Rugby team, we have been preparing since it was announced that we are going to participate in the USSA games. This time around, we will endeavour by all means to bring the trophy back home,” Mashaba states firmly.
Last year, UL Rugby team lost one game at the USSA and settled for a second spot on the log. “This year, we want to ensure that we play all our exertion and a winning spirit, we no longer want to be placed second best,” Mashaba adds.
The USSA games were established in 1994 as a unified sport structure for the regulation, organisation and coordination of student sport activities at regional, provincial and national levels in the South African tertiary education sector.
The UL teams that qualified for USSA 2024 include football, netball, rugby, softball, bodybuilding, karate, chess, cricket, golf, tennis, boxing, volleyball, dance, basketball and hockey.