By the end of next weekend seven of the nine provincial champions
in the under-12 Danone Nations Cup soccer tournament will have emerged, ahead
of the national playoffs of the competition, to be held in Boksburg on June 25th.
It’s
the turn of Free State to stage its provincial playoffs on Saturday 4th
June at the Grey College Bloemfontein , with Gauteng and Limpopo hosting their
finals in the 2 weeks following.
The
eventual national winners will represent South Africa at the world finals of
the competition in France later in the year.
Football
development in the Free State is thriving with local PSL club, Free State
stars, giving a helping hand and visiting the schools to look for players to
boost their development programme and offering advice.
Two
of the schools that will be competing in the Free State finals this weekend are
part of that programme.
Witsieshoek
Primary School coach Victor Mokoena was part of the Free State Stars
development programme back in 2005. He knows how important it is for young
players to get the correct training at grass-roots level. He doesn’t have a
coaching qualification but has played the game at a relatively high level, with
Maholosiane FC and then Dikwena FC, both in the national first division.
The
school has been playing in the competition since 2011 and made it through to
the provincial finals in 2012.
Mokoena
has been coaching the team since 2013, and is getting support from former Free
State Stars, Moroka Swallows and Orlando Pirates player, Goodman Mazibuko who
has held clinics at the school and often comes and checks up on how the team is
progressing.
Out
of the 2012 Witsieshoek team, Bongani Khumalo, now in high school, has attended
Free State Stars trials and Katlego Mofokeng is with the Supersport United
Academy.
Free
State Stars has been monitoring the players at Insoeng Primary School and three
of the players from their 2015 team: Tumelo Louw, Kholisile Afrika and Thembile
Dangube have been asked to attend trials at the club to join their development
programme. The three are still at the school, but are too old to play in the
Danone Nations Cup again this year.
The
school is relatively new to the competition. They started playing in 2013, and
made it to the provincial playoffs last year but lost in the semi-finals.
Coach,
Mosepedi Ditaung, believes the biggest advantage this team has over last year’s
is motivation. “Although there is always pressure, these players have a
different attitude,” he said. “I tell them that everyone loses and it is how
you rise above it that shows your strength.”
The
participating schools are:
TMD
district: Witsieshoek Primary School
Xhariep
district: Insoeng Primary School
Fezile
Dabi district: Nelson Mandela Primary School
Motheo
1 district: Toka Primary School
Motheo
2 district: Moipone Primary School
Lejweleputswa (TBC)
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