When Zwelethu Mdedelwa, coach of the Lukholo Junior
Secondary School’s under-12 soccer team, entered his side in this year’s Danone
Nations Cup it was merely to give them a learning experience.
But, his young charges proved him wrong. They sailed through
the qualification rounds and have made it into the Eastern Cape provincial
finals for the second year in a row, and judging by their form they could well
to through to the nationals, which they did not manage to do last year.
The finals are on 23rd May, at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium,
East London, and Mdedelwa explains that they won all of their cluster and
regional playoff games, scoring 12 goals in the cluster games and 21 at the
regional playoffs.
“The boys proved to me that they can easily win the
provincial finals this year, they are more dedicated and listen to every
instruction,” he said. “This indicates that they are ready to compete and win
the provincials.”
Mdedelwa has been at the school since 2012 and he has
elevated sports participation there to the extent that they now play soccer,
netball, softball, handball, cross country and recently introduced rugby as
well;
“The kids need extracurricular activities to keep them
active and healthy. More of them are signing up to participate in at least two
different sporting codes which shows their dedication and interest in sport.”
While he believes it was a team effort that got them this
far, the coach singles out striker, Aphiwe Dineka, who scored 6 goals in the
cluster games and 8 at the district finals.
“He looks up to Amazulu striker Bongani Ndulula, and also
want to be called “Ndulula”. He even wears no 9 jersey just like his
idol,” Mdedelwa said. “If he continues to score goals like he has
been we are definitely in with a chance at reach the nationals.”
Training for the finals has been going well although there
is the challenge of not getting enough training time with the boys. “They
live far from the school and we need to make sure that they arrive home
safely,” Mdedelwa explains. “We have chatted to the parents and we have their
full support.”
Coaching has always been a part of Mdedelwa’s life, although
he has no formal qualifications. “I watch and read up on soccer continuously to
keep my coaching current and give me insight as to how the sport is evolving,”
he said. “If the kids are taught the basics properly it stands them in good
stead for their future careers. ”
The teams participating in the Eastern Cape Provincial
Finals are:
Lukholo JSS-Alfred Nzo District
Sterkspruit Community School-Joe Gqabi District
Charles Morgan Combined School-Amathole District
De Hoop Primary School-Chris Hani District
Bongweni Primary School-Cacadu District
Siyaphambili Primary School -Nelson Mandela Bay District
TBC-OR Tambo 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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