PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER (PES) rankings

The efootball title of Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) offers the chance for players to compete internationally.

With the announcement by International Esports Federation (IESF) that Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) shall be played at its 12th World Championships - Eilat - in November 2020, it is expected that there will be frantic activity in the game title as players jostle for position in order to be selected for MSSA's Protea Team.

Although the efootball title of PES was only introduced to IESF World Championships in 2019, Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) submitted a team to contest the game title. Needess to say IESF's 11th World Championships was hotly contested, and if South Africa is going to be even more competitive on an international level in this gamae title, more needs to be done at home to further develop the abilities of South Africa's players - at every level.

It should be noted that all MSSA Regional, Provincial, and National Championships, as well as online championships and online leagues count towards selection to the national team.

Being selected to represent South Africa at IESF's World Championships is the highest honour that an esports athlete in South Africa can earn. Such player is awarded the much coveted Protea Colours - the same as in any other sport, and the experience of being thrust among the world's best is of legends.

The current South African rankings for the Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) efootball esports title is as follows:

Pos	Name of Player	Year	Club	Points
1	Lesego Motlasi	18	Fakkel School of Skills	116.5
2	Denver Abdullah	18	North School	116.5
3	Raygen Abdullah	18	North School	116.5
4	Morena Velapho	18	Fakkel School of Skills	116.5
5	Zuko Nomaqhiza	18	Curro Klerksdorp	116.5
6	Thokozane Mntimane	18	Fakkel School of Skills	116.5
7	Leonard Loftus	18	Masters of Mind Sports	116.5
8	Khahliso Malape	18	Fakkel School of Skills	116.5
9	Katleho Mofokeng	18	North West University - Vaal	116.5
10	Jodie-Ray Nelson	18	Empangeni High School	116.5
11	Gordon McCormack	18	JCS Academy	116.5
12	Hakeem Choonara	18	Northcliff High School	116.5
13	Lita Sotomela	18	North West University - Vaal	115.9
14	Lefa Lekhula	18	Fakkel School of Skills	115.9
15	Joost Loftus	18	Masters of Mind Sports	114.9
16	Jason van der Walt	18	JCS Academy	112.9
17	Lesego Molotsi	18	Fakkel School of Skills	110
18	Henry Colin	18	Fakkel School of Skills	109.5
19	Unathi Nzimande	18	Empangeni High School	105
20	Ru-Landie Kilian	18	Affies Sasolburg	105
21	Delmari van der Walt	18	JCS Academy	101.3
22	Junior Mpembe	18	Fakkel School of Skills	95
23	Irfaan Sabat	18	Empangeni High School	95
24	Aiden Hodgkinson	18	JCS Academy	95

Also read:

• Selecting the national Protea teams for Mind Sports South Africa.
• The road to Eilat
• IESF announces first three titles for 12th World Championships
• Esports: MSSA's 24th Western Cape Provincial Championships - 28 and 29 March 2020.
• Rankings: Tekken 7 rankings
• Rankings: DotA 2 rankings
• Video on NWU sponsorship.

PES Society affiliates to MSSA

PES Society caters for all esports athletes interested in competing in the Pro Evolution Soccer game title.

Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA), the world's oldest national federation for esports, has just accepted yet another club into membership.

PES Society, based in Cape Town, and specialising in the Pro Evolution Soccer game title by Konami, has been welcomed into the ranks of member clubs. With the introduction of PES 2020 into International Esports Federation's 11th World Championships in Seoul, there is even a greater interest in the game title than before.

According to Sahil Ebrahim, "PES Society is a community of avid eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer players from Cape Town, South Africa with a passion for the game not matched anywhere across the globe.

PES Society has a handful of committed individuals who ensure that regular leagues and monthly tournaments take place and keep the ball rolling in the quest to put Pro Evolution Soccer at the top of the football gaming empire."

PES Society may be contacted on:

Email: info@pessociety.co.za
Web: www.pessociety.co.za
Facebook: fb.com/thepessociety

MSSA is confident that PES Society will have a long and fruitful association.

Also read:

• Why schools and universities should invest in esports.
• Entry fees for Provincial and National Championships
• How school clubs affiliate for the 2020 season.
• 2020 Calendar of Events
• The various events held by Mind Sports South Africa.
• Why schools and universities should invest in esports
• New National Team Selection Criteria
• Selecting the national Protea teams for Mind Sports South Africa.
• The road to Eilat

Winners of MSSA's 33rd S A National Championships.

Charlize Seremak went straight from MSSA's SA National Championships to IESF's 11th World Championships.

Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) held its 36th South African National Championships at Fakkel School of Skills on 7 and 8 December 2019.

As usual, the school was a superb host, and the championships ran smoothly and without a hitch.
MSSA's SA National Championships is the last event of the year, and is without doubt, the most important championships on the South African calendar as any player witshing to qualify for selection to the South African National Squad, from which the South African National Protea Team, shall be selected must participate at such SA National Championships. Of course there are exceptions in certain cases, but in such cases, MSSA must be contacted prior to the event. 

Having run for 36 continuous years, MSSA's SA National Championships is breaking records. However, not all the various disciplines have been played for the full 36 years. Wargames heads the bill at having been played at all 36 National Championships, with Board games (in the form of Morabaraba) having been included in 1996. Shortly thereafter, in 1997, checkers made its debut. It was only in 2005, even though MSSA had been running Provincial Esports events since 1998, that Esports made its way into the SA National Championships.

Despite the pedigree of the other disciplines, it is now esports that contributes the largest amount of participants, and has more games (periods) being hosted than any othe discipline.

Even with esports only having been represented at MSSA's SA National Championships since 2005, it makes the esports portion possibly the oldest running esports national championships in the world!

Eleven (11) games (periods) were played, of which one (1) was a wargame, two (2) were board games and the remaning eight (8) were esports titles.

It must also be stressed that only titles that are played at SA National Championships, qualify to have teams selected that will earn Protea Colours. There are exceptions to the rule, but they are exceptions...

The championship was hard fought, and the standard exhibited showed a marked improvement over previous years.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Title	Name of player/team	Club	Colours awarded
Ancients (DBM)	Terence Allwright	Old Edwardian Mind Sports Club	National Federation Colours
Checkers	Melikaya Nonyukela	Vultures	National Federation Colours
Clash Royale	Dale Spolander	Northcliff High School
	Daniel Lombard	Monument Park High School
	Wesley Pachai	Curro Klerksdorp
Counterstrike: GO	Team FiB	Monument Park High School	National Federation Colours
DotA 2	Pr0NHS	Northcliff High School	National Federation Colours
FIFA '19	Zuko Nomaqhiza	Curro Klerksdorp
FIFA '19 - High School	Kagiso Moagi	Curro Klerksdorp
Hearthstone -- Female	Vicky van Der Merwe	ZAG Academy	National Federation Colours
Hearthstone	Grey Craven	Curro Aurora
Morabaraba - Female	Saudah Bhaimia	Curro Klerksdorp	National Federation Colours
Morabaraba	Aidan Voster	Curro Aurora
Paladins	BOO Implode	BOO Gaming	National Federation Colours
Street Fighter V	Theunis van der Merwe	Hoerskool Klerksdorp
	Leonard Loftus	Masters of Mind Sports
Tekken 7 - Female	Charlize Seremak	ZAG Academy	National Federation Colours
Tekken 7	Shaun Claudio Lopes	North West University - Vaal	National Federation Colours
Tekken 7 - High School	Cilliers Swanepoel	Curro klerksdorp

Also read:

• Esports titles selected for all MSSA's Premier Provincial and National Championships

• Esports titles selected for all MSSA's School Championships.
• Esports titles selected for all MSSA's Student championships.
• 2020 Calendar of Events
• The various events held by Mind Sports South Africa.
• Why schools and universities should invest in esports.
• New National Team Selection Criteria
• Selecting the national Protea teams for Mind Sports South Africa.
• MSSA's umpiring course - 25 January 2020.

The Best Newcomer Award for 2019 goes to...

Blake Govender was South Africa's flag-bearer at IESF's 11th World Championships - Seoul.

Every year at Mind Sports South Africa's (MSSA) Annual General Meeting (AGM), the member clubs have agonized over who should be awarded the Best Newcomer Award - well that is from 1987...

The award may only be awarded to the Registered Player who, in the eyes of the Annual General Meeting (AGM), has done exceptionally well in his/her initial stages of membership.

Blake Govender (Oakhill School) from the Western Cape has been awarded such award for the 2019 year.

Having excelled in many an official school championship and league event, Blake caught the eye of the Selection Committee which catapaulted him into the highest levels. However, none would have been possible without the support of the club as well as of the Educator-in-Charge, Diana Barnard.

Blake was selected to represent South Africa at IESF's 11th World Championships. His sportsmanship was a credit to South Africa, and he was selected to be South Africa's flag-bearer at tthe opening ceremony.

His achievements over the past year is an adventurous tale that may rank with most romances.

The total list of those awarded such prestigious award are as follows:

YEAR	BEST NEWCOMER	CLUB
2019	Blake Govender	Oakhill School
2018	Sebolelo Motlhabi	North West University - Vaal
2017	Simone Beck	Valhalla
2016	Joel van Wyk	All Stars
2015	Wynand Meiring	BeZerK Gaming
2014	Barry West	Knights Mind Sports Club
2013	Mohamed Wasim Lorgat	Energy eSports
2012	Lyrene Kűhn	Knights Mind Sports Club
2011	Robert Botha	PolarFluke
2010	Jonathan Grobler	Hillcrest Wargames Club
2009	Xola Magwaza	Knights Mind Sports Club
2008	Benjamin Williams	Pretoria Boys High School
2007	Jonathan Grobler	Hillcrest Wargames Club
2006	Werner Buter	Maritzburg Christian School
2005	Thembile Nquezo	Castrol Team
2004	Jonathan Newman	Maritzburg Christian School
2003	Simphiwe Maphumulo	Alexandra High School
2002	Teresa Chen	Maritzburg Girls' High
2001	David Scholtz	Maritzburg Griffons
2000	Attilla Molnar	Westville Historical and Military Modelling Society
1999	Andre Tonkin	Krugersdorp High School
1998	Rudolph Joubert	Peninsula Wargames Group
1997	Thembinkosi Hambiyane	Gauteng Draughts Association
1996	Richard Ligault	Technikon Witwatersrand
1995	Jaco Vermeulen	Potchefstroom Krygspele Vereeniging
1994	Damien Enslin	Peninsula Wargames Group
1993	David Smith	Old Edwardian Wargames Club
1992	Jethro Marks	Old Edwardian Wargames Club
1991	David Young	Northern Suburbs Wargames Club
1990	Dennis White	Easterns Wargames Group
1989	Bruce Cahill	Easterns Wargames Group
1988	Grant Casey	Johannesburg Wargames Society
1987	Hal Couzens	Johannesburg Wargames Society

Also read:

• Esports titles selected for all MSSA's Premier Provincial and National Championships.
• Esports titles selected for all MSSA's School Championships.
• Esports titles selected for all MSSA's Student championships.
• 2020 Calendar of Events
• The various events held by Mind Sports South Africa.
• Why schools and universities should invest in esports.
• New National Team Selection Criteria