Patekile Senior Primary School, representing Bizana in
the Alfred Nzo region, had a successful weekend when they beat Nthabelanga
Senior Primary School 3 – 0 to qualify for the 2019 Danone Nations Cup National
finals to be held at the WJ Clements stadium, Reigerpark, Gauteng on the 15th
June.
The 8
regional finalists gathered at the Orlando Stadium, Mdantsane, to compete in
the Eastern Cape Danone Nations Cup provincial finals. The schools were divided
into two groups with Guqaza Primary School, Maruping Primary School,
Bisho Lower Primary School, Nthabelanga Senior Primary School in Group A and
Luxolo Intermediate School, Patekile Senior Primary School, Fort Malan Senior
Primary School, Seyisi Primary School in Group B.
The groups played a round robin format with the teams
topping the logs competing for the trophy and a chance to compete in the
national finals.
The two league winners did not have an easy berth to the
finals. Both finished the log with equal point to the second-place teams and
determining the winner was a result of a direct matchup.
Patekile coach decided to give his key players a rest in
their final league match and this strategy worked well for him as the team took
to the field for the final match against Nthabelanga with determination and
great pace. Patekile players, Dazela Nqobile and Nduduzo Nthuli, were in
fine form and ran rings around the Nthabelanga defence. This helped
release the pressure on striker, Cebelihle Sibangeni who went on to score a
hattrick.
Nthabelanga tried hard to get a goal back but the
Patekile defence was too strong to break down and the few opportunities that
came to their strikers were easily dealt with by the Patekile goalkeeper.
Coach and grade
7 teacher, Mpumelelo Nkasa was very proud of his boys and the hard work that
they put in on the day. “Today started off very well with us winning 5-0
and 3-0 in our first two games. Our third game was a little trickier because we
were overconfident, and they had also watched our first matches and had a plan
for us. Luckily we drew the game 1-1 and then beat them on penalties to make
the finals.”
Mpumelelo says
that his strategy leading into the provincial finals was successful and the
boys played according to the plan that he set, “I told the boys to relax and
play the way that I told them to play and that is to build from the back, have
confidence on the ball and try to create space for the others to play off.”
The school has a
lot of work to do before they get to the national finals, “Many of the boys
live in rural areas and stay far away from the school so I have to ask the
headmaster for some assistance in allowing our boys to train during school
time, as long as it does not affect their studies. I now have the contact
details of Mamelodi Sundowns scout, Mandla Mazibuko, and I will discuss our
strategy with him and he will advise on how to use my players better.”
If the school
wins the national finals in Gauteng, they will represent South Africa at the
world finals in Barcelona in October and Mpumelelo says they are striving for
this goal. “Most of the players are Barcelona fans and we base our play
on their style as well as the style of Manchester City. They also take
the ball from the back and use their speed and skill to bring the ball forward
very quickly and create problems for the opposition.”
Mpumelelo also
teaches the boys and believes this is an advantage. “Teaching the boys in the
classroom helps me understand them better which is very helpful when we go onto
the soccer field. I understand their mental strengths and how to motivate them
all correctly. Every player is different and responds in a different way.”
The team will join the other eight provincial
champions in Gauteng on 15th June to compete in the national finals
where the school that will represent South Africa at the world finals will
emerge. To celebrate Danone’s centenary and the 20th edition
of the Danone Nations Cup both the 2018 and 2019 champions will travel together
to Spain.
There will be 20 teams competing
in the world finals and they will all play their final match of the tournament
at the RCDE Stadium (home of La Liga club, Espanyol) in Barcelona, on 12th
October.
RESULTS:
POOL A
Guqaza Primary School, Maruping
Primary School, Bisho Lower Primary School, Nthabelanga Senior Primary School
POOL B
Luxolo Intermediate School,
Patekile Senior Primary School, Fort Malan Senior Primary School, Seyisi
Primary School
RESULTS:
Guqaza Primary School 3 vs 0
Maruping Primary School
Luxolo Intermediate School 0 vs 5
Patekile Senior Primary School
Bisho Lower Primary School 0 (2)
vs 0 (3) Nthabelanga Senior Primary School
Fort Malan Senior Primary School
2 vs 0 Seyisi Primary School
Guqaza Primary School 0 vs 1
Bisho Lower Primary School
Luxolo Intermediate School 0 vs 1
Fort Malan Senior Primary School
Maruping Primary School 0 vs 2
Nthabelanga Senior Primary School
Patekile Senior Primary School 3
vs 0 Seyisi Primary School
Nthabelanga Senior Primary School
2 vs 0 Guqaza Primary School
Seyisi Primary School 0 (2) vs 0
(3) Luxolo Intermediate School
Bisho Lower Primary School 2 vs 1
Maruping Primary School
Fort Malan Senior Primary School
1 (2) vs 1 (3) Patekile Senior Primary School
Final: Nthabelanga Senior
Primary School 0 vs 3 Patekile Senior Primary School
About
Danone
Danone Southern Africa is part of the Danone Group, one
of the fastest-growing food companies in the world. Danone is present in
over 120 countries across all continents. With 160 plants and around 100,000
employees, the Danone Group is the number one worldwide for Fresh Dairy
Products. Danone’s mission is to bring health through food to as many people as
possible.
One
of the core values of the Danone Nations Cup tournament is to encourage young
people to believe in their dreams. Through this initiative Danone offers a
sporting event that reaches out to and inspires millions of children all over
the world
GROUP
DANONE
Dedicated
to bringing health through food to as many people as possible, Danone is a
leading global food & beverage company building on health-focused and
fast-growing categories in three businesses: Essential Dairy & Plant-Based
Products, Waters and Specialized Nutrition. Danone aims to inspire healthier
and more sustainable eating and drinking practices, in line with its ‘One
Planet. One Health’ vision which reflects a strong belief that the health of
people and that of the planet are interconnected. To bring this vision to life
and create superior, sustainable, profitable value for all its stakeholders,
Danone has defined its 2030 Goals: a set of nine integrated goals aligned with
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Danone commits
to operating in an efficient, responsible and inclusive manner; it holds itself
to the highest standards in doing business, as reflected by its ambition to
become one of the first multinationals certified as B CorpTM. With more than
100,000 employees, and products sold in over 120 markets, Danone generated
€24.7 billion in sales in 2018. Danone’s portfolio includes leading
international brands (Actimel, Activia, Alpro, Aptamil, Danette, Danio,
Danonino, evian, Nutricia, Nutrilon, Volvic, among others) as well as strong
local and regional brands (including AQUA, Blédina, Bonafont, Cow & Gate,
Horizon, Mizone, Oikos, Prostokvashino, Silk, Vega).
