Saturday, October 20, 2018

KFC wraps up the KFC Mini-Cricket Kids Join the Proteas on Tour with a bang!


During the KFC T20 International Series against Zimbabwe, KFC gave the KFC Mini-Cricket kids an opportunity to join their Protea heroes on their official tour.

The winning schools, Nomandi Junior Secondary School of Port St Johns, Paarl’s Amstelhof Primary School and Bayview Primary School from Port Elizabeth had a once in a lifetime experience to join their heroes and have a sneak preview of what happens behind in the scenes on an official Proteas tour.

The Tour officially began in preparation for the first KFC T20 International game in East London, where Nomandi Junior Secondary School’s KFC Mini-Cricket team received a warm welcome from their heroes. The kids also took up the opportunity to get active in an intense Proteas fitness session ahead of the game. The kids received insights to what it takes to be a national hero and the hard work one needs to put in to be a great sportsman.

In addition to the KFC Mini-Cricket kids from Bayview Primary School rubbing shoulders with JP Duminy, Tabraiz Shamsi and Lungi Ngidi. The kids went behind the scenes to see the Proteas locker rooms where they got a real feel of how the teams prepare themselves for all games.

Another intimate session was led by wicketkeeper, Heinrich Klaasen who was welcomed by a chant from the kids titled “Klaasen jou lekker ding”. The learners were overwhelmed at first but warmed up to him as he sat with them in the grand stands. This meant so much for the learners of Amstelhof Primary as this was the first time to see a Protea in their midst, let alone the whole team.

To close off the Tour, the KFC Mini-Cricket kids from Bayview Primary School flew to Johannesburg where they had a surprise room drop by Proteas-Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson and Andile Phehlukwayo. The ecstatic kids were also spoilt with a personalised signing session with their Protea Heroes.

Taki Simeli, External Communication Specialist at KFC, believed the tour was success. “We believe the KFC Mini-Cricket Kids Join the Proteas on Tour competition really exceeded our wildest expectations. The once-in-a-lifetime experience gave the kids an opportunity to ignite the passion they have for their favourite sport and we hope the fire will continue to burn whilst getting active.”

Simeli continues, “At KFC we are always looking for opportunities to further enhance our KFC Mini-Cricket programme. Our sponsorship of the KFC T20 International Series is a way to profile the programme and bring the kids close to their cricketing heroes, making them part of the game, inspiring the kids and reigniting their passion for cricket.”

Proteas bowler, Junior Dala, who participated in the fitness assessment with the KFC Mini-Cricket kids shared how he knew the importance of being a role model and on working towards his goals. “We showed them there is more to being a Protea than just playing on the field. The kids learned that there is a number of activities that take place behind the scenes. The biggest thing for them to learn is that they need to keep up their enthusiasm and work hard to achieve their goals.”

The two- day experience included a live experience at a KFC T20 International match. Each match day experience included the KFC Mini-Cricket kids taking part in the guard of honour, officiating at the coin toss, participating as ball boys and girls during the games and taking part in the prize giving ceremonies after the matches.

Proteas legend, Robin Peterson joined the kids on tour and also landed a hand in gearing up tomorrow’s cricketing heroes. “I remember going to the nets in Port Elizabeth when I was young to get signatures and see how my heroes played. The KFC Mini-Cricket initiative is an exceptional way to build even more love for the game and build true sportsman and women on and off the field. I hope the KFC Mini-Cricket Kids will never forget this experience.” he said.

The KFC Mini-Cricket programme continues to be the largest national grassroots development programme in South Africa and offers kids critical building blocks for learning cricketing basics and entrenching a love for the game.
The three winning teams all took part in KFC Mini-Cricket Kids Join the Proteas on Tour competition all entered the national KFC Mini-Cricket Kids Join the Proteas on Tour competition by simply dialling *120*7535# or visited kfc.co.za/minicricket. 











Three KFC Mini-Cricket Teams win once in a lifetime opportunity with Proteas!


With over 60 000 competition entries received nationwide, KFC and Cricket South Africa are proud to announce the three KFC Mini-Cricket “Kids Join The Proteas On Tour” competition winners.  The winning teams include; Amstelhof Primary School from Paarl, Nomandi Junior Secondary School from Port St John and Bayview Primary School from Helenvale, Port Elizabeth.  

The winning teams will have the opportunity to join the Proteas when they step up to the crease during their upcoming KFC T20 International Series against Zimbabwe in East London, Potchefstroom and Benoni in October. The anticipated two days with the Proteas promise to be full of fun and excitement for the lucky KFC Mini-Cricket kids who will each be immersed in a unique tailored experience ranging from an interactive training session to camping in the same hotel as the Proteas in the respective host towns. The winning teams will also receive their official Tour kits to kick-start their cricketing adventure. 

On match day, the KFC Mini-Cricket kids will be led in a convoy and escorted to the stadium where they will participate in the official guard of honour for the playing teams.  Additionally, the kids will perform some of the match duties including being ball boys and girls, the coin toss and thereafter, close off this once in a lifetime experience by being part of the official photos of the day’s festivities – making sure every special moment is captured forever!

Thabisa Mkhwanazi, Public Affairs Director for KFC South Africa comments, “At KFC we are fully committed to the development of our country’s young cricketers. The KFC Mini-Cricket Kids Join Proteas Tour is a special competition, giving young cricketers a once in a lifetime opportunity to not only meet, but to rub shoulders with their Protea heroes before these KFC T20 Internationals Tour games. We wish the KFC Mini-Cricket Kids joining the Proteas the utmost fun, and hope that this experience further reignites a passion and love for the game of cricket.”

As a further commitment to developing cricket in South Africa, KFC will continue to utilise their T20 International sponsorship as a platform to further profile the KFC Mini-Cricket programme. In addition to introducing young boys and girls to the game, KFC Mini-Cricket is able to give kids in South Africa the chance to have fun, get active and to get closer to their sporting heroes.

Since its inception, the KFC Mini-Cricket programme has grown from 89 000 kids to now over 120 000 kids getting active with over 5 500 schools taking part in the programme and coached by almost 10 000 volunteer coaches.


Dates for the KFC T20 Internationals Tour Series- South Africa vs Zimbabwe:
9 October- Buffalo Park Stadium, East London
12 October- Senwes Park Stadium, Potchefstroom
14 October- Willowmoore Park Stadium, Benoni