Tshegofatso Nkge will be travelling to
Morocco in October with Bree Primary School to represent South Africa at the
under-12 Danone Nations Cup World Finals, and according to the school
Principal, Dave Kalicharan, this youngster will play a key role in the team
leading up to and during the tournament.
“He is a great motivator and is always joking
around and making his team mates laugh,” said Kalicharan. “This is over
and above the fact that he is a skilled centre back who one day wants to
emulate his hero, Neil Tovey.”
Tshegofatso started playing soccer in the
streets when he was 5 years old and was spotted by the coach of Naledi Academy,
Bizza. “He saw my potential and mentored me and in 2013 he took me and 5 other
players to attend trials at Bree Primary School. Three of us were successful,
and I joined Bree in January 2014.”
The youngster has settled into the school
well and has made many new friends and credits the success of the team to the
dedication of the principal. “It’s been great being a part of the school
and I have adjusted very well. Mr Kalicharan loves soccer and makes sure that
we participate in different tournaments. He is very dedicated.”
Playing in the Danone Nations Cup national
finals is seen by Tshegofatso as one of the highlights of his life to date. “On
that day we were filled with so many emotions; happy, excited, scared and
intimidated. The final was against Nelson Mandela and from the start of the
game I knew that we were going to win. They were a very strong team, but we
were stronger and hungrier than they were. Winning the nationals made me
realise how much I love soccer and how important it is to work hard.”
The world finals are a different ball game,
Tshegofatso knows. “We will be playing against the best schools from different
countries. There is a lot of pressure on us as everyone wants us to reach the
same heights at the 2009 team that won the World Finals. Our biggest
advantage is the fact that our coach was at the world finals and has seen how
different countries play soccer.”
Tshegofatso is looking forward to exploring
Morocco. “I have never heard of the country before. I want to have fun and
enjoy myself the entire time that I am there.”
On his return from Morocco the youngster is
hoping to be signed by an academy that will take him a step closer to playing
soccer professionally one day. “Soccer is my passion and I definitely want to
make a career out of it and I know that there are plenty of scouts out there
that come and see our games.”
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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