Megoring Primary School from
Polokwane in Limpopo’s Capricorn District, is through to the provincial finals
of the under-12 Danone Nations Cup happening at the Seshego Stadium, Polokwane,
on 18 April, for the first time and they are looking forward to advancing even
further in the competition.
Samuel Mabitsela, their team
manager explained that they have been participating in the tournament for a
number of years, but have never reached the provincial level. “It is great
that, after years of participating, we finally move a step closer to the
nationals,” he said.
“Last year we came close but we
were eliminated at the regional finals by Rev MP Malaatjie Primary School, who
went on to win the provincials. It is particularly satisfying that we beat them
1-0 this time to get to the provincial finals. It was definitely revenge
time for our school. We were a bit nervous at first hoping that history
would not repeat itself – and it didn’t,” Mabitsela said.
Megoring came into this year’s
tournament with only two of last year’s players so it is a relatively new
team. “The team is pretty inexperienced and I didn’t even expect them to
win, but they surprised me,” he said.
The team is coached by Nathaniel
Mankga, a teacher at the school who has doubled up as a coach for many years.
“He does not have any qualifications but he very passionate about soccer and
about nurturing the players’ talent,” Mabitsela said. “We are situated in a
rural area with soccer as the only extra mural activity on offer and we use the
sport to keep the kids active and off the streets. We also use the sport
to highlight the importance of staying healthy.”
The team has been very busy
preparing for the finals, even through the school holidays. “When the schools
open we only have a week until the provincial finals so it is important to keep
the kids minds focused on the game. Repetition is the key to success at
this age and we need to keep the kids practicing,” said Mabitsela. “Beating
last year’s provincial winners has boosted the player’s confidence and now we
are eying the trip to Gauteng to compete in the national finals in June.”
The coach and manager have
discussed strategy and told the boys that they need to dominate and lead from
the first game of the day. “If we win the first game that will set a precedent
for the upcoming games, and make the other teams aware that we have came
prepared and ready to fight for the title,” Mabitsela said. “The kids are also
looking forward to consuming the many Danone products such as Nutriday and
Yogisip which is on offer in abundance at the provincial finals.”
ends
About Danone
Danone
Southern Africa is part of the Danone Group, one of the fastest-growing food
companies in the world. Danone is present in over 120 countries across
all continents. With 160 plants and around 100,000 employees, the Danone Group
is the number one worldwide for Fresh Dairy Products. Danone’s mission is to
bring health through food to as many people as possible.
One of the core values of the Danone Nations Cup
tournament is to encourage young people to believe in their dreams. Through
this initiative Danone offers a sporting event that reaches out to and inspires
millions of children all over the world
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