Sport in
general, and soccer in particular, has the potential for upliftment and the
Danone Nations Cup tournament has, over the years, brought hope and happiness
to thousands of under-12 players from all corners of South Africa. AH Barnard
Primary School in Beaufort West is the latest in a line of schools that has
overcome many odds and whose dreams have come true.
By winning the Western Cape
provincial title, which took place at Jamestown Stadium in Stellenbosch last
weekend, the school qualified to play in the national finals and stand a chance
of representing the country at the Danone Nations Cup world finals in London in
September.
The school does not have its
own field and has to play on the local municipal ground. About 80% of the
school's parents depend on social grants for survival, so there is not much
left over for football kit and some of the players have to make use of
materials that they can find around town like plastic and cardboard to use as
shin guards.
Team coach Jim Michael Fries
said that while the players have been told about the prize of a trip to London
and are very excited about it, for a lot of them just going to Gauteng for the
national finals is a very exciting experience.
"The fact that we are
going to Gauteng is already a huge step for our boys since most of them have
not even left our province before," Fries said. "But we also do not
want the kids to totally focus on the possibility of playing at Wembley stadium
because they might lose focus on winning the necessary matches in the national
finals. We want them to take one step at a time but be mindful of the end goal.
"The most exciting part of
the World Finals trip will be playing at Wembley stadium. Most of the kids
watched the UEFA Champions league final on ETV, so they know about Wembley and
it will be a dream come true to play at a stadium that was on TV".
This is the second time AH
Barnard has played in the tournament. Last year they got as far as the
provincial finals but did not proceed further. They are training twice a day at
the moment and have the support of the entire community behind them as they go
all out to achieve their dreams.
Fries said the team will be
depending on striker Mayrick Arries and central defender Dominique Rennies to
be their key players at the finals. "They are our best players and are
both very committed to soccer and love what they do, said Fries.”They know
their way around the field and work well with their team mates."
The school is proud of its
players Delrico Meintjies and Quernardo Olivier, who are destined for higher
football honours. Meintjies was spotted at last year’s regional finals in
Stellenbosch and is now at the Transnet SAFA School of Excellence, while
Olivier has been invited to trials at Ajax Cape Town.
The Western Cape provincial
finals were tough as the games were played in cold, wet conditions – unlike the
hot and dry conditions the players are used to. Fries says they are ready for
the finals, however, and keen to carry on making dreams come true.
Western Cape Provincial Finals
AH Barnard Primary 1 Isalathiso
Primary 0
Heathfield Primary 0 Langabuya
Primary 0 (Langabuya won on penalties).
Vredendal North Primary 1
Zwelihle Primary 1 (Vredendal North won on penalties).
AH Barnard Primary 2 Heathfield
Primary 0
Vredendal North Primary 0 AH
Barnard Primary 0 (AH Barnard won on penalties)
Isalathiso Primary 0 Vredendal
North Primary 0 (Vredendal North won on penalties)
Langabuya Primary 0 AH Barnard
Primary 2
Zwelihle Primary 1 Isalathiso
Primary 1 (Zwelihle won on penalties)
Heathfield Primary 0 Vredendal
North Primary 0 (Heathfield won on penalties)
Zwelihle Primary 0 Langabuya
Primary 3
Isalathiso Primary 0 Heathfield
Primary 0 (Isalathiso won on penalties)
AH Barnard Primary 1 Zwelihle
Primary 0
Langabuya Primary 0 Vredendal
North Primary 1
Final - AH Barnard Primary 3
Vredendal North Primary 1.
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 190 plants and around 102,000 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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