Mamelodi Sundowns come on board to prepare Bree Primary School for the Danone Nations Cup world finals

Mamelodi Sundowns FC has come aboard to assist the under-12 Bree Primary School team prepare for the Danone Nations Cup World Finals happening in Morocco between the 23rd and 25th October.

On Saturday, 22 August, a friendly match took place between Bree the Mamelodi Sundowns U13 development team which was followed by a trip to the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville to watch the PSL match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Wits University.

The boys were taken into the dressing room to meet the Sundowns players after the game and Sundowns scout, Trott Moloto, spoke to the boys and gave them insights into what to expect when travelling and playing internationally.

Bree surprised the Mamelodi Sundowns squad and technical team when they won the match 4-1.  According to the coach, Fire Maselela, there are some extremely talented boys in the team and he was impressed with the confidence and structure of the entire team on the field. His advice to the team leading up to Morocco was that they should play as many games against older boys as possible.

“Our players are usually smaller than those from other countries, so they need to get used to playing against stronger boys and must not feel intimidated,” said Maselela.  “There are many factors that contribute to SA players being smaller, it’s a reality and the boys must not allow this to affect the way they play,” he said.

He also noticed that the boys tired in the second half of the game. “They scored 4 goals very quickly in the first half but then faded and allowed Sundowns to get one back in the second half,” he said.

Bree principal, Dave Kalicharan, is the driving force behind the team. He is continuously motivating and praising the boys, which has contributed to their strong self-belief. 

Their plan for the next two months is to continue to play friendly games against teams that they have not played against before.  In this way they are getting the team used to facing the unknown. 

SASFA president, Mandla ‘Shoes’ Mazibuko said competing internationally is the key to the success of the Danone Nations Cup tournament. “To offer young under-12 boys the opportunity to travel overseas and play against other countries opens their eyes to the endless opportunities there are in the world.  It encourages them to work hard, dream big both on and off the football field,” he said.

“At this age they are developing the love for the game and we want to encourage them to keep fit and continue to play football.  Through sponsors like Danone SASFA is able to identify talent for the PSL clubs as well as the SAFA national teams.  These are the boys they need to keep an eye on as they grow,” ended Mazibuko.

 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