Johannesburg Primary Schools are gearing up for the Danone Nations Cup

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Twenty schools affiliated to the Johannesburg Primary Schools Football Association (JPSFA) will be playing in a Danone Nations Cup playoff tournament at St David’s Marist Inanda on the 23^rd, 24^th and 25^th July.

The eventual winner there will go through to the competition’s Gauteng provincial finals happening on 25^th August.

The 3-term schools among them are busy with their preparations, but the 4-term schools will only be going back after the mid-year holidays on Tuesday, 17^th July, so they will have less than a week to prepare. Most of them would, however, have instructed their players to keep fit by eating properly and to keep practising.

Bryneven Primary School is one of those still on holiday, but their coach, Simba Chinyandza, is confident that the boys will return well prepared.

Bryneven played in the JPSFA Danone Nations Cup tournament last year but didn’t get past the group stage. There are six of those players back, and their experience will be valuable, Chinyandza said. “We have a good team this year and the experienced players will motivate and assist the others.” 

Since 2009 Chinyandza has headed up physical education at the school overseeing all sporting codes as well as coaching soccer.  He understands the importance of sporting qualifications and has enrolled with SAFA to obtain his Level 1 certificate later this year. He already has a SAFA Level 4 Refereeing certificate.

He is Zimbabwean and obtained his Degree in teaching at the University of Zimbabwe in 2000. Growing up, he was encouraged by his parents to get involved with multiple sports so took part in hockey, swimming, cricket, rugby and basketball as well as soccer. Now his soccer passion rests with the technical aspects of the game rather than playing it.

His previous school, HA Jack Primary, which he left in 2008, will also be playing in the Danone Nations Cup this year and he is looking forward to meeting them on the field.

“The Danone Nations Cup is very exciting for both players and coaches,” he said. “The players get exposure to top clubs, which doesn’t happen in their normal leagues. Last year the Mamelodi Sundowns scouts attended the games which was a great motivator to everyone.  They watched the games and spoke to the coaches, offering coaching information and tips to help us.  We are looking forward to seeing them there again and hopefully they will be pleased to see how we have all progressed. I’m hoping that one of two of my players will get noticed.”

Last year’s competition was a load of fun, Chinyandza said, and he believes the social aspect of the tournament is important. Sportsmanship and fair play is important and he encourages his players to play in the right spirit.

“My key player will be midfielder, Liam Slattery,” Chinyandza said. “I’ve been coaching him since he was in the under 9 team and he has been my captain since then. Liam is a great motivator and he can discipline the team and hold them together.

“He has also been playing club soccer at Old Parks since the age of 6. It helps if players compete at club level as they are introduced to skills that might not be known at the school.  They also play more often and for longer, as the school season only lasts for a few months. I encourage all those with exceptional skills to join clubs.” 

Participating schools:

The schools that have entered to date include:

Blairgowrie Primary School

Bryneven Primary school 

Curro Wilgeheuwel

De La Salle Holy Cross College

Deutsche Internationale Schule

Emmarentia Primary School

Fairsands Primary School

Grayston Preparatory School

Greenside Primary School

HA Jack Primary School

HeronBridge College

Houghton Muslim Academy

Houghton Primary School

King David Primary School Victory Park

Maryvale College

Northwest Christian School

Orange Grove Primary School

Reddam House Bedfordview

St David’s Marist Inanda

The King’s School Robin Hill

 Ends.