Griqualand West
Cricket Union hosted a KFC Mini-Cricket festival at De Beers Diamond Oval today,
with over 600 children (boys and girls) between the ages of 3 and 13 getting active on the cricket field.
The kids that
participated in the festival
came in school teams with eight players per team. The teams then each played two games. The KFC Action Zones, which are inflatables
that enable kids to improve their skills in a fun way, were stationed at the
ground.
But there was more to
the day today than just cricket explains Lauren Turnbull, KFC CSI and
Sponsorships Manager. “The best way to get a message across to kids is through
other kids and with this in mind we have introduced a kid’s ambassador search this year. At each festival, including De Beers Oval, we
set up an audition area to select kid ambassadors who will be used to promote
our KFC Mini-Cricket message which is to encourage kids to get active and get
into KFC Mini-Cricket. “
KFC partnered with Cricket
South Africa (CSA) in 2010 with the aim of reaching as many children as possible and to promote
an active and balanced lifestyle. The 2011/12 season saw the programme grow by
20%, double the target set, so there are now over 100 000 kids actively
involved.
The focus this season
is the KFC Mini-Cricket kids ambassador search and for kids already in the
programme to play more frequently. “This season we will ensure that we maintain
and improve the quality of cricket played by the children and will continue to
encourage enrolment. A main focus for this season will be the growth of KFC
Mini-Cricket into rural communities,” said Niels Momberg, Youth Cricket Manager
at CSA.
AB De Villiers has
been an ambassador of KFC Mini-Cricket since 2010 and is an inspiration to the
kids involved. “Everyone needs an
introduction into a particular sport and we couldn’t ask for a better way than
to be involved in KFC Mini-Cricket. I believe this season will entice even more
kids into the programme and I bet it will unearth some characters as
ambassadors. I will have to work hard to
keep my position as the ambassador.”
KFC is immensely
proud of their involvement with KFC Mini-Cricket: “What we have achieved to
date goes far beyond our expectations.
Our message is to encourage active and balanced lifestyles for children
and each season we look at ensuring that the kids have fun outdoors, this
season is proving to be no different,” said Turnbull.
Each of the 16 cricket provinces will stage a KFC Mini-Cricket
festival and the Griqualand
West festival was the fourth. KFC and CSA remain committed to building cricket
amongst the youth now and well into the future.
