Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Danone Nations Cup is a breeding ground for future football players







The Danone Nations Cup soccer tournament provides an opportunity, every year, for thousands of young players to be involved in the biggest competition in the world for youngsters between the age of 10 and 12 years old.  It also acts as a window for the most talented of them to be seen by scouts from the various clubs and academies who are on the lookout for the game’s potential future stars.

One of those was unearthed at the 2013 tournament, playing for East London’s Charles Morgan Primary School. He is Mihlali Damesi who is now a member of the Amajimbos, the national under-17 team.

2013 was a good year for discovering future stars. Also identified that year was Xolanin Muleya who played for Benny’s Sports Development and Academy and now the two boys are team mates. They both played together for the SA under-17s in a 4-nations tournament in Lesotho at the end of last year. 

Charles Morgan Primary is one of the schools that will be in action at the Danone Nations Cup Eastern Cape provincial finals on Saturday 4th August at Laёrskool Kuswag in East London.

Their coach, Masixole Goli, believes the tournament is very important precisely because it gives kids from schools in the townships and rural areas the chance to be seen by scouts. “Reaching the provincial finals has become my goal every year,” he said. “It’s at this level that the scouts begin attending and you have to be there to give the players that exposure.”

The 2019 Danone Nations Cup world finals tournament in Spain will incorporate the 2018 world finals, as a double-header, which has given the schools more time to prepare as the local games have been spread out throughout the year.

This has allowed for extra training for the boys from Charles Morgan Primary School. “We have been entering the tournament for many years and have made the provincial finals twice before, in 2013 and 2015,” Goli explains. “We didn’t enter last because we didn’t have enough time to prepare properly. The competition was completed early in the year and there just wasn’t enough time.”

Instead, a team was chosen last year and Goli told them to play club football throughout the year to keep the momentum going. “They all did that, and I am confident we will do well this year. Hopefully we will get into the national finals this time.”

Goli has no formal coaching qualification. He watches local games to develop his knowledge of the game and talks a lot to the coaches of the clubs that his players belong to.

“The most important thing is to play the boys in their correct positions,” he said. “Boys of this age just want to go out onto the field and play and have fun, but it is important for a coach to try them out in different positions and move them around according to their strengths.”

He is confident that they are ready for the provincial finals. “‘We are determined to win and have the backing of the school’s staff, all the learners and the parents who will be attending the provincial final to cheer us on.”

The Eastern Cape provincial finalists are:
Joe Gqabi district: Ngxaza Junior Secondary School
Chris Hani district: Empumelelelweni Senior Primary School
Buffalo City Municipality: Charles Morgan Primary School
Amathole district: Fort Malan Senior Primary School
Alfred Nzo district: Patekile Junior Secondary School
Sarah Baartman district: Gcinubuzwe Primary School
OR Tambo district: Nomandi Junior Secondary School
Nelson Mandela Bay: Mzimhlophe Primary School

Ends

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