Team work, taking advice, confidence and emotional
intelligence is what helped the young under-12 team from Cape Town’s
Nomlinganiselo Primary school win the Danone Nations Cup national finals in
Gauteng this weekend, said coach Ntokozo Mazwi. The youngsters will now
take on other nations in the world finals in Spain in 2019.
The national finals took place in Gauteng on the weekend
with Nomlinganiselo drawn in Group 2 with Shapeve (MP), Tshediso-Xolani (FS)
and Laerskool Rustenburg Noord (NWP). They finished top of the log after
beating all three schools 1 – 0 to reach the final where they played Charles
Morgan Primary School from the Eastern Cape, who topped Group 1.
The final match was tough, said a tired, but excited
Mazwi. “The game was evenly matched and both of us had our chances, but
we failed to convert. At the end of regulation time the game was
deadlocked leaving it to penalties to decide who would be going to Spain.
I knew then that we had the game in the bag as I had a gut feeling that I
needed to prepare my goalkeeper for this exact situation.”
In the end Nomlinganiselo won 4-3 on penalties. “I
am extremely proud of my boys,” said the coach. “When one considers that
our school has poor soccer facilities and we have limited equipment for
training yet we still managed to beat schools that have much more than
us. It is testament to how determined and courageous the team was.
Charles Morgan has competed in two other national finals and went into the game
as the more experienced school.”
The team will now start planning for Spain. “I
learnt so much in Gauteng. Every team had their strengths in terms of
tactics and technical skills that I will implement back home in Cape Town.
However, I will keep to my primary focus, which is to prepare the boys
emotionally for the experience. I will teach them all about Barcelona,
the countries we will be playing against, while continuing to build their
confidence. Preparations will consist of classroom activities as well as
on field training and plenty of practise matches. We are going to look
for support from the local structures to find better training facilities to get
the boys used to playing on excellent surfaces.”
The coach is planning on obtain his SAFA Level 1 coaching
certificate in March 2019. “I believe the Level 1 certificate focuses on
coaching kids, which will help me prepare them better. Currently I have
no coaching experience and teach according to what I know, which might not
necessarily be the best practise.’
Premier Soccer League scouts also attended the national
finals to look for talented youngsters to boost their development
structures. “The Danone Nations Cup national finals were a dream come
true for every player on the pitch,” said Mandla Mazibuko from Mamelodi
Sundowns. “We have watched the teams perform at the provincial finals and it
was important to have another look at them at the nationals to see how they
perform under pressure. The scouts are looking for individual players at
these events, but it is interesting to see how the different teams play as a
collective unit. I was particularly impressed at the formations used in
the final match. At this age, while it is important to just let the boys
have fun and play the game, it is also important to start teaching them
different tactics and how to move the ball around the field effectively.
Coaching is extremely important at this age as the boys must start learning
about build up and positioning as this is how you score goals.”
Manager of Charles Morgan, Lizo Wellie, was disappointed
at losing in the final, but admitted he was not prepared for a penalty
shoot-out. “Losing on penalties was disappointing and I did not prepare
the boys fore this, but that is the game of soccer.”
Playing against Benny’s Sports Academy from Limpopo was
their toughest opponent admitted Wellie. “Benny’s has an excellent
reputation and my boys were a little intimidated when they went into the
game. Despite our opponent’s excellent tactics, we still managed to beat
them 2 – 1 which was a massive confidence boost for the players. We won
three games and drew 0-0 against Lutzburg from the Northern Cape which put us
as log leaders and into the final match. It is a pity we didn’t win but there
is always next year.”
The national final experience was special for the
youngsters, admitted Wellie. “Seeing Johannesburg for the first time was
exciting for the boys. They stayed in a hotel with all the other
provinces and made plenty of friends. At the stadium there were
activations such as dribbling skills tests and target practise which the boys
really enjoyed. It was a dream come true for all of us and next year we
will be back in action with a new team and new experiences. I am looking
forward to it.”
RESULTS:
POOL A
POOL B
Benny’s
Sports Academy and Development
(LP)
Shapeve Primary School (MP)
Zamukhanya
Primary School
(GP)
Nomlinganiselo Primary School (WC)
Charles
Morgan Public Primary School
(EC)
Tshediso-Xolani Primary School (FSP)
Muzuvukile
Primary School
(KZN)
Laerskool Rustenburg Noord (NW)
Lutsburg
Intermediate School (NC)
- Benny’s SDA 3 vs 1 Zamukhanya PS
- Shapeve PS 0 vs 1 Nomlinganiselo PS
- Charles Morgan 2 0 PS vs Muzuvukile PS
- Tshediso-Xolani PS 1 vs 0 Laerskool Rustenburg Noord
- Lutzburg IS 0 vs 2 Benny’s SDA
- Zam’ukhanya 1 PS vs 1 Muzuvukile PS
- Nomlinganiselo PS 1 vs 0 Laerskool Rustenburg Noord
- Charles Morgan PS 0 vs 0 Lutzburg IS
- Muzuvukile PS 2 vs 1 Benny’s Sports DA
- Laerskool Rustenburg Noord 0 vs 4 Shapeve PS
- Zamukhanya PS 1 vs 2 Charles Morgan PS
- Nomlinganiselo PS 1 vs 0 Tshediso-Xolani PS
- Muzuvukile PS 0 vs 0 Lutzburg IS
- Benny’s Sports DA 1 vs 2 Charles Morgan PS
- Shapeve PS 1 vs 0 Tshediso-Xolani PS
- Lutzburg IS 0 vs 0 Zamukhanya PS
- FINAL: Charles Morgan PS 0 (3) vs 0 (4) Nomlingaliselo PS
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