After 10 years of competing in the DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) Kiazer Chiefs finally won the trophy after over coming defending Champions Stellenbosch FC.
With head coach Vela Khumalo spending most of the season with the U17 National team, former senior team assistant coach Dillon Sheppard was in charge and he has heaped praise on not only on Chiefs, but the DDC league as a whole.
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Talking to the media on Wednesday at the Kaizer Chiefs Village, the former Mamelodi Sundowns winger said that the standard of the league is of high quality.
Besides the many players graduating from the league to become household names in South African football and beyond, the clubs have often called upon the youngsters in cases of injuries to their regulars, and many have grabbed the chance with both hands.
“If you go through the teams this season, from clubs like Richards Bay and Stellenbosch, the DDC has played a huge role in readying the youngsters for the top-flight league, but it has also increased the competitiveness of the premiership," Sheppard observed.
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Sheppard further added that the success of both the recent success of the Under-17 and Under-20 national teams, who have both qualified for their respective World Cups this year, is largely owed to the league.
"A couple of years ago, that step from DDC to first team football was a whole lot bigger, but these days, that gap has definitely gotten so much smaller. Now you're starting to see the impact in our domestic league, but also our youth national teams," he added.
