One of the great
things about the Danone Nations Cup soccer tournament is that it reaches every
corner of the land, and now that registrations for the 2016 event have closed
it’s apparent that a wide range of schools will be playing again this year.
Some of them are
from affluent urban areas, where fields and facilities are not a problem,
others are from the solid middle class areas, and others are located in the
poorest rural communities where finding the time and space to participate in
sport is a struggle.
Yet, getting
children out into the open and involved in organised activities is an important
part of their education, and tournaments like the Danone Nations Cup provide an
opportunity for them to move out of their limited surroundings and experience
new things.
Thornville
Primary, located near Pietermaritzburg is one of the rural schools. It’s an old
school - 82 years old – located in an area where there are many orphans and
child-headed households and survival depends on child grants and school feeding
schemes.
Thornvilles
principal, Ranesh Chowthee, heard about the Danone Nations Cup at a local
district circuit meeting and recognised the opportunity to show the pupils that
there are many opportunities out there and there is always something to look
forward to.“ It can encourage kids to come and play soccer as exercise is
extremely important to the overall wellbeing of any kid,” he said.
Chowthee
stresses that the school’s focus is on academics and so the team was selected
on the basis of the boys’ commitment to both sport and academics.
The team is
coached by Bheki Dladla, a teacher at the school. He believes that the
tournament is important as the boys will be exposed to players from other
schools and they will be able to learn new soccer skills and how to interact
with other kids from different backgrounds.
“It’s our first
year of entering, so we are new to the competition, but we are hoping to at
least get into the provincial finals,” he said.
Dladla is hoping
Mbongeni Mchunu, his key player, will help them achieve that. “He was abandoned
as a baby and lives with an unemployed aunt, but has a positive and energetic
attitude to life,” Dladla said. “No matter what the adversity he has the
ability to bounce back and see the positive side and has the drive to do better
and achieve great things in his life.”
Mchunu is a
prefect and one of the top academics in the school. He prides himself as a poet
and is often given the platform at assembly to recite these. He will
captain the side and dreams of going all the way in the competition.
The winners of
the national title will be going to the world finals in France. A trip like
that is something worth striving for and although it won’t be easy, Mchunu said
it is a boost for the team, and something that is getting the players to
develop their passion for the game.
Mchunu said he
would like to be a doctor one day and come back to the village and help the
community – but he wouldn’t mind if he was scouted and landed up playing for
his favourite club, Orlando Pirates.
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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