Friday, August 24, 2018

Gauteng is the last province to host their Danone Nations Cup finals happening this weekend at Sacred heart College.







The school that will represent Gauteng at the under-12 Danone Nations Cup national soccer finals will be known on Saturday, 25th August, at Sacred Heart College in Observatory, Johannesburg, the venue for the last provincial final of the tournament.  There will be nine schools competing for the spot in the nationals.

There was great excitement at Benoni’s Zamukhanyo Primary School on the weekend when they qualified for the provincials and will be one of the Ekurhuleni teams in action. What makes it even more amazing, explains the coach, Sibonelo Mfeka, is the fact that the school is participating in the Danone Nations Cup for the first time.  He entered the school this year after being encouraged to do so by the Department of Basic Education.

“We are a no fee school serving a number of townships, informal settlements and rural areas around Ekurhuleni and our facilities are limited so to get this far is exceptional and I must give credit to the commitment of my players,” said Mfeka.

Mfeka has no coaching qualification and is a teacher at the school. “The district level was tough, particularly the game against Michael Mkhwanazi primary,” he said. “They were an excellent team, but we finished top of the log to go through to the next round of the competition.”

Striker, Siyabonga Msimango who plays for Highlands Park, along with 2 other boys is going to be a key player for the team at the nationals,” Mfeka believes. “He also helps out with training by preparing drills and is a good leader.”

The other school that will represent Ekurhuleni is based in Katlehong.  Thembelethu Primary School will be competing in the provincial finals for the second year in succession under coach, Miss Maletlotlo Maphuthuma. 

Maphuthuma is hoping her team shines this year and makes it to the national finals.  “I believe there is a female coach from Rustenburg that will be at the national finals and, being women’s month, it would be really apt if there were two of the nine teams coached by women!”

Her dream could well come true considering the quality of her players which includes two boys that are in the Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club’s development structures.  “My two defenders play for the club’s under-13 team.  Sundowns has excellent development coaches and these two boys bring with them a wealth of knowledge.  They help me with drills as well as skills transfer such as dribbling and passing. We could well surprise everyone on Saturday.  The other coaches must underestimate us at their own peril.”

The school has produced a professional player in Thela Ngobeni, who is currently a goalkeeper at Mamelodi Sundown.  Due to their success on the football field the school has earned the nickname ”obvious”.


St David’s Marist Inanda will go onto the field on Saturday as newcomers to the provincials, representing the Johannesburg Primary Schools Football Association. Team manager, Thami Nkabinde will be approaching the provincials cautiously.

“All the teams that get to the provincials will have been through gruelling qualifiers and it will not be easy,” he said. “Our boys are currently on holiday, but we will be having three practice sessions this week to make sure the boys are ready. I have told them to keep fit – not to sit at the computer and TV - but to go for walks, runs, practice by themselves and to drink plenty of water cutting down on junk food. And to stick to NutriDay yoghurt as a healthy snack.”

The majority of St David’s players also compete at club level, the majority for Pirates in Greenside. “The season at school is very short which does not give them enough time to get ready on their own. We teach the boys the basics and get them to have fun but at club level it is taken more seriously,” Nkabinde said.

He was with the team last year when they were under-11 and has progressed with them this year. Their coach is a student who has no formal qualifications but a passion for the game, and the boys have responded well to him.

The aim of the Danone Nations Cup is to encourage youngsters to believe in their dreams and bring about positive social change. Through sport children can learn important life lesson about responsibility, dedication, hard work and relying on others. The competition promotes teamwork and sharing, and teaches the players to think on the run.

Nutrition is very important for kids at this age, and Danone’s aim is also to teach them to eat properly. The calcium found in dairy products helps to build strong bones.




 


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