28 September 2026
In recent years, Glenwood High has consistently produced some of KwaZulu-Natal’s best football teams. Now, after winning the Nedbank Grey College Soccer Tournament on Sunday, they can call the 2026 side one of the best in South Africa.
It has been a special year for a strong football programme, with the Green Machine winning the Mancosa KZNHSFA Coastal A-League, while also finishing as runner-up at the Kearsney Soccer Tournament and the Big 10.
Winning the Nedbank Grey College Soccer Tournament, one of the country’s premier events, against one of the toughest fields to be found at any tournament, is an outstanding achievement. It didn’t come by chance.
It’s something that Glenwood’s Director of Soccer, Khaya Mngwengwe, and his players have been working towards over the past four years. Back when they started, they identified the Grey College tournament as the one they wanted to win. With dedication and hard work, they made their dream come true.
In the final, they faced Jeppe High School for Boys, who’ve also been on an excellent run in 2026.
At the Association of Public Boys’ Schools of South Africa (APBSA) Football Festival in Pretoria in July, Jeppe and Northwood were the only sides to compile perfect records of five wins from five matches.
As finals tend to be, it was a tight contest, with the teams playing to a 1-1 draw in regulation time. The Green Machine then secured glory by winning the penalty shootout that followed by a 3-2 margin.
It was a special win. Not only had Glenwood overcome a loaded field of contenders, but they had achieved that feat at high altitude on hard fields, very different compared to those found at the coast in Durban.
The field had included the Absa Wildeklawer champion, Navalsig High, and Grey College, the runner-up in that event. Wynberg Boys’ High was the defending champion. CBC Mount Edmund had finished as the runner-up of the Curro Halala Cup in August, where Glenwood misfired, finishing twelfth. That was the outlier.
Glenwood’s Durban rivals, Durban High School (DHS), placed second at the Kloof High National Football Tournament in July. They finished 15th in the Grey College tournament. The Kloof High winners, HTS Louis Botha, finished 13th.
The field was stacked!
In the Nedbank Grey College Soccer Tournament playoffs, Glenwood took on Hodisa Technical Secondary School in the quarterfinals and recorded a convincing 3-0 win. Then, in the semifinals, they beat Pretoria Boys High 2-0.
Jeppe, meanwhile, cooled off high-flying Parktown Boys’ High, beating them 3-0 in the quarterfinals before withstanding a strong challenge from CBC Mount Edmund. Their clash ended in a 2-2 draw, sending the contest to a penalty shootout, which Jeppe won 4-2.
One of the other two representatives from KZN, Kearsney College, did not enjoy the familiarity of the conditions that Glenwood and DHS knew.
They narrowly missed out on the Bowl final, drawing 2-2 with St David’s Marist Inanda before losing 5-6 in the penalty shootout that followed.
Kearsney finished on a high note, though, outplaying Stelitzia 4-1 to end in 19th place.
Unfortunately for Empangeni High, the other KZN side, they finished with the wooden spoon, going down to Bloemfontein South High in their last outing.
RESULTS
Bowl Quarterfinals
St David’s 3-2 St Andrew’s School
Strelitzia (4) 0-0 (2) Victoria Park
Brebner 6-1 Empangeni
Kearsney College (5) 0-0 (4) Bloemfontein South High
Bowl Semifinals
St David’s (6) 2-2 (5) Kearsney College
Brebner 2-0 Strelitzia
Bowl Final
Brebner (5) 1-1 (4) St David’s
Plate Quarterfinals
Wynberg Boys’ High 4-0 Nedbank Invitational XI
St Stithians College (4) 1-1 (2) Norkem Park
Kimberley Boys’ High 2-0 DHS
Reddam House Bedfordview (5) 1-1 (4) HTS Louis Botha
Plate Semifinals
Wynberg Boys’ High 6-2 Reddam House Bedfordview
Kimberley Boys’ High 1-0 St Stithians College
Plate Final
Wynberg Boys’ High 3-1 Kimberley Boys High
Cup Quarterfinals
Jeppe 3-0 Parktown Boys’ High
Glenwood 3-0 Hodisa
Pretoria Boys High (3) 0-0 (1) Grey College
CBC Mount Edmund 3-1 King Edward VII
Cup Semifinals
Jeppe (4) 2-2 (2) CBC Mount Edmund
Glenwood 2-0 Pretoria Boys High
3rd/4th
CBC Mount Edmund 2-1 Pretoria Boys High
Cup Final
Glenwood (3) 1-1 (2) Jeppe
Final Standings
1st/2nd: Glenwood (3) 1-1 (2) Jeppe
3rd/4th: CBC Mount Edmund 2-1 Pretoria Boys High
5th/6th: Parktown Boys’ High 2-1 Grey College
7th/8th: Hodisa Technical Secondary 4-3 King Edward VII
9th/10th: Wynberg 3-1 Kimberley Boys’ High (Plate final)
11th/12th: St Stithians 3-0 Reddam House Bedfordview
13th/14th: HTS Louis Botha (3) 0-0 (2) Norkem Park
15th/16th: DHS (8) 1-1 (7) Nedbank Invitational XI
17th/18th: Brebner (5) 1-1 (4) St David’s Marist Inanda
19th/20th: Kearsney 4-1 Strelitzia
21st/22nd: St Andrew’s School 2-0 Victoria Park
23rd/24th: Bloemfontein South High 3-0 Empangeni High