KFC Mini-Cricket Coach and Coordinator of the Year named at national seminar

Thulani Zideba and Nokuzola Javu have been honoured in front of their peers by being named the Coordinator of the Year and Coach of the Year respectively at a glittering gala dinner, held on the last night of the 2014/2015 KFC Mini-Cricket National Seminar.

The annual seminar, which took place from Thursday, 3 July, to Sunday, 6 July, is jointly hosted by Cricket South Africa and KFC, and is an opportunity for a few of the dedicated and talented KFC Mini-Cricket coaches and coordinators from across South Africa to come together to share best practice and plan for the season ahead.

“Looking back on another successful and highly active season of KFC Mini-Cricket, we are proud that not only the number of participants, but also the unique opportunities to get kids active have substantially increased. Awarding the Coach of the Year to Nokuzola and Coordinator of the Year to Thulani acknowledges how the dedicated and committed volunteers from around the country are taking this programme from strength to strength. They are the real lifeblood of the KFC Mini-Cricket programme,” commented Lauren Turnbull, CSI and Sponsorship Manager of KFC South Africa.

Thulani Zideba, winner of Coordinator of the Year, accepted his award with great humility. A fine cricketer himself and wicket keeper for the Khayelitsha Cricket Club, Thulani takes great pride in his role within the KFC Mini-Cricket programme. In 2010, he was appointed as the Western Province KFC Mini-Cricket coordinator and since then he has taken the number of participants in the programme from 3000 to an astonishing 10 000 children.

However Thulani feels that he wouldn’t have been able to do it on his own. “I would not have achieved this accolade without the support from David Mokopanela at Cricket South Africa, the support from the Western Province Cricket Association and the support of all the brilliant coaches and coordinators in the Western Cape,” he said.

When receiving her award, Nokuzola, a grade 3 teacher at the Mzamonhle Special School in Uitenhage, was also quick to acknowledge and thank all those who had supported and assisted her in organising transport, branding, fixtures and promoting KFC Mini-Cricket at their schools.

KFC Mini-Cricket gives kids of all ages and abilities the chance to get active, even those that are differently abled, physically or intellectually. Since 2010 when KFC started sponsoring the mini-cricket programme, the number of kids playing cricket has increased by over 29%, from 83,683 to 107,872 kids from 4,986 schools across South Africa.

“As we move into the new season, our shared vision remains to get more kids in South Africa to lead active lifestyles through the KFC Mini-Cricket programme, and we are looking to continue to build upon the positive momentum generated over the course of the very successful 2013/2014 season which saw more kids than ever getting active across South Africa,” said Turnbull.

“With over 107 000 kids from across the country actively involved in KFC Mini-Cricket, this number will only continue to grow thanks to the dynamic and committed coaches and coordinators like Nokuzola and Thulani,” Turnbull concluded.