With just days remaining until the 2016 season of Varsity Football kicks off there is a sense of excitement and confidence from the students of the University of Pretoria as they expect their student team to bring back the glory days of the 2013 and 2014 seasons. 

The team has been preparing quietly for the past six months and they are now geared up for the prestigious tournament as they were unceremoniously kicked out of the tournament by their old nemesis the Tshwane University of Technology in the semi-finals last year. A lot of changes have since taken place, the most notable of which was former head coach Evangelos Vellios being promoted to the first team AmaTuks, while Tlisane Motaung replaced him. 

To meet the requirements the team has been reshuffled and this year's edition will feature 11 tournament debutants. The team has been dealt a major blow as they will not have most of their key players - the likes of Jeremiah Nkwana, former captain Robin Swartz and Lawrence Ntswane to name a few will be absent from this year's tournament. The 11 new faces on the team will definitely be aiming to make an impression. 

New coach Tlisane Motaung has new ideas and he feels he has galvanised his team well for the tournament, 'Everything has gone well for us and just like any other team we have had challenges but we worked our way through them and we find ourselves faced with a task that is important to us and this institution. We are now wrapping up our preparations and we are focusing on tactics and so on but we are ready to compete and challenge for the title.'

The 26 players selected to represent UP-TUKS are as follows: 

Goal keepers: 
•    David Ribeiro
•    Deodart Kritzinger
•    Dylan Patterson
•    James Smith

Defenders:
•    Siphesihle Sosibo
•    Simbongile Njokwe
•    Nicholas Killas
•    Asande Mbanjwa
•    Musa Qongo 
•    Simthembile Ndimande
•    Richard Moremi
•    Leonel De Mendoca 

Midfielders:
•    Khumbulani Siluma 
•    Claudio De Almeida
•    Tiago Da Serra
•    Clinton Mphahlele
•    Dean Wilkinson
•    Sego Mokgothu

Wingers:
•    Thungolethu Ndlovu
•    Mogau Khwinana
•    Wandile Makhanya
•    Sabelo Tsambo
•    Jurgen Booysen

Strikers:
•    Frank Mpedi
•    Odwa Makha
•    Mbongeni Masilela