The South African Schools Football Association
(SASFA) is on a drive to boost the number of schools that will play in the
under-12 Danone Nations Cup competition this year, and the Eastern Cape
coordinator is expecting numbers to increase to over 220.
Traditionally schools focus on athletics in
the first term which has resulted in increased pressure to get their soccer
teams ready for the Danone Nations Cup. The Tournament is held earlier in the
year to accommodate the world final held overseas.
Thankfully, this year there is more time as the
2018 World Finals will only be taking place next year, together with the 2019
World Finals, in celebration of Danone’s Centenary Anniversary.
This was good news for coach Masixole Goli
from Charles Morgan Primary School of King William’s Town in the Amathole
region.
The school has been entering the tournament
since 2012 and managed to get into the provincial finals in 2013. In an attempt to change their fortunes, Goli made
the decision not to enter the tournament last year but rather send the children
to local clubs in the King Williams Town where they could get better coaching
throughout the year. “In preparation for 2018 I decided that the kids needed to
play soccer throughout the year as opposed to just playing the sport in term
two. In this way they will get first class coaching and more match practice as
they participate in the local leagues.”
In 2017, Goli decided to be a spectator and
take note of how the professionals coach.
“I have no coaching qualifications and learnt a lot from watching the professional
coaches. With what I’ve learnt I have
now started to get our school squad together and to begin practicing applying
what we’ve learnt. I believe we have a
much better chance this year.”
New Horizon Senior School from Bungeni
Township in Butterworth has also entered again this year. Siphiwe Nkunkuma, the
coach, is an administrator at the school and has noted the difference the tournament
makes in the lives of the kids so in 2016 he decided to approach the school and
enter a team. “We didn’t make it past the district phase of the tournament, but
I have done a lot of research on different football teachings and I think I am
better prepared for this year.”
But both teams will have to get past Isaac
Booi Primary, the 2017 provincial champions.
“Playing in the national finals was an eye opener for me,” said coach,
Siphiwo Witbooi. “The biggest lesson was
that young kids need to be encouraged and their self-esteem needs to be really high
to compete in such tournaments,” he said. “Last year the boys went to Gauteng
and were completely overwhelmed
They
had little confidence going into games, but this year we can better prepare
them. They were not themselves and didn’t play to their full potential.”
The Eastern Cape produced a national final
winner in 2011 when Barkerville Primary won and went on to represent their
country at the World Finals in Madrid, finishing 38th out of
the 40 teams competing.
Schools can still register for the competition
by contacting the national coordinator at the SA Schools Football Association
(SASFA), Themba Tshabalala, on 011 403 2844, 084 290 0602 or
072 588 4957. Alternatively, they can visit the Danone Nations Cup South
Africa Facebook page or go to www.facebook.com/dncsouthafrica to download the necessary
documents. (Documents are always on Danone.co.za also)
Ends
DNC
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