When Machibini Primary School of
Mtubatuba run onto the field for the KwaZulu-Natal provincial playoffs of the
under-12 Danone Nations Cup competition, at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in
Clermont on Saturday May 16th, they will have, in their technical
area, have Mrs Happiness Mchunu as team manager.
Happiness is remarkable not only
because she is a woman making an impact in the man’s world of soccer, but also
because she, almost single-handedly, got sport established at the school.
When she started teaching at the
school in 2004 they didn’t do any sport at all so, because she loves sport, she
decided to get it going. Now they participate in athletics and soccer and are
working towards adding other codes.
She entered the school in the in
the Danone Nations Cup for the first time last year and to their surprise they
made it into the provincial finals at their first attempt. “We didn’t expect to
reach that level and were pleasantly surprised at our success,” she said.
Happiness gives credit for making
it to the finals again this year to the boys. “When a coach has a committed
team, anything is possible,” she said. “Last year we managed to reach the
provincials, beating schools that are regulars in this tournament, it shows
that the team and I were committed to making a success out of this
tournament. I instil in the boys that they need to be passionate about
the sport- play soccer because you love it and it’s what you want to do,” is
her advice.
Her love for soccer comes from
being an avid fan. “I love the game and have been a dedicated follower all my
life. I watch local and international soccer. My favourite team locally is
Orlando Pirates and Internationally it’s Chelsea FC, who have just won the
English Premiership.”
This year she is the manager of
the team as the school has acquired the services of Lungani Biyela as a coach.
He joined the school this year and they have been working closely together.
“We don’t have a lot of
female coaches in South Africa and my goal is to eventually be a qualified
coach, but still remain involved in soccer development focusing in rural
areas,” Mchunu said.
On their way to the provincial
finals Machibini played a total of 22 games – at zonal, circuit and district
level – and won them all. “It was not an easy road for us, making it into the
provincials is a very big deal for us and we consider it a huge achievement for
the team,” Mchunu said.
“Our defining moment was when we
played our district finals game against Hluhluwe Primary School. They were the
host team and the stadium was filled with their supporters, but we pulled
through and we beat them 3-0. That has been our best game to date this
year.”
The teams participating in the
KwaZulu-Natal provincial finals are:
Masihambisane Primary School -
Amajuba District
Dinuphozo Primary School - ILembe
District
Mthethousha Primary School -
UMgungundlovu District
Nkelabantwana Primary School -
Sisonke District
Celimfundo Primary School -
UThukela District
Phumza Primary School - UGu
District
Mzweni Primary School -
UMzinyathi District
Nhlabonisi Primary School -
UThungulu District
Sherwood Primary School -
EThekwini District
Mophela Primary School - Pinetown
District
Ningizimu Primary School -
Zululand District
Machibini Primary School -
UMkhanyakude District
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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