The next round of Danone Nations
Cup provincial finals take place at Durban’s Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on
Saturday, 20th May when the winners of the 12 KwaZulu-Natal
districts battle it out for the provincial title and a chance to compete in the
national finals.
Pinetown will be represented for
the third time by Mophela Primary School. In 2015 they were provincial
champions and went through to Gauteng to the nationals and last year they were
beaten by Mthethomusha Primary School in the provincial final.
Sydney Mkhize, the team’s coach
and manager, gives credit to his principal, Mr Ntsele who is a firm believer
that children should take part in sporting activities because it helps them
relax and have fun and teaches them discipline. “He made it possible for us to
enter and encouraged us all the way,” Mkhize said.
Mophela came into the competition
with an all-new team this year, Mkhize explains, there were 40 kids who came to
trials this year so it was quite a task cutting it down to the required number
of 12.
Mkhize has a level 1 coaching
qualification from SAFA. He grew up playing soccer and made the Amazulu reserve
team back in 1997, when he didn’t make it into the professional team, he
decided to give up playing become a teacher.
The team is taking preparations
for the provincial finals very seriously. They have been training four times a
week and they have set up friendly matches against the surrounding school to
fine tune their skills and rectify mistakes.
“It’s important to get the boys
used to playing competitive soccer so they aren’t intimidated in the finals,”
Mkhize said. “Our final preparations will focus on the mental aspects of the
game to ensure the players have fun and don’t crack under pressure.”
There were 31 schools at their
regional finals and Momphela started off red hot, scoring 9 goals in their
first two matches.
That qualified them for the
quarter finals. They beat Waterloo Primary School from Verulam 5-0 and went on
to beat Amndlakazulu Primary School 2-1 in what was to be their toughest match
of the day.
The final game was against
Daluxolo Junior Primary School from Kwa-Mashu. They scored their first goal in
the first half and their defence communicated well and held out, making them
Pinetown District champions for the third time.
The teams participating in the
provincial finals are:
Amajuba District - Enkululekweni
Primary School
Lembe District - Shakaskraal
Primary School
Mgungundlovu District – Muzi
Thusi Primary School
Sisonke District- TBC
uMkhanyakude District-
Siyathuthuka Primary School
uhukela District- Inkunzi Primary
School
Ugu District- Dunywa primary
School
uMzinyathi District- Lewis
Primary School
uThungulu/ King Cetshawayo-
Sinaye Primary School
uMlazi District- Ndongeni Primary
School
Pinetown District- Mophela
Primary School
Zululand District- Ningizimu
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