The 2019 world finals of the
Danone Nations Cup will take place in October at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona,
Spain and the race is on to see which school will be representing South Africa
there.
When the world tournament was
last in Spain, Madrid in 2011, it was a school from the Eastern Cape - Barkerville
Senior Primary School of Mount Frere - that won the South African national
finals and competed against 39 other nations there.
This weekend, schools from the
province will be fighting for the right to go to the 2019 nationals to see if
they can repeat Barkerville’s success. The eight district winners will be at
the Orlando Sports Fields, Saule Road, NU2 Mdantsane, East London on Saturday,
18th May, kicking-off at 9.30am. Entrance is free and every
spectator at the stadium will receive NutriDay, YogiSip, DanUp and more,
courtesy of the sponsors Danone.
Representing the Amatole district
again this year will be Fort Malan Primary School based in Willowvale, north of
East London.
The school principal, Zama
Mgedezi, is also the team manager. The school has been participating in the
tournament for years now, but they have never progressed very far. In
2015 Mgedezi became principal and his workload became excessive and in 2017 he
called in a passionate soccer fanatic from the area to help coach the team and
he became the manager. It was the right decision and for the past 2 years they
have made it to the provincial finals. This year he is hoping to go a step
further and take the boys to the national finals in Gauteng on 15th
June.
“I take my coaching seriously and
I believe that one must show the boys so I get into my kit at training and go
onto the field and show the boys different tactics,” Mgedezi said. “I teach
football in the classroom as well as on the field. It’s important that the boys
know the rules of the game.”
Mgedezi believes in the power
that soccer has in bringing people together. In 2004 he formed a club, the Red
Lions. “There are too many distractions for the youth, so I decided to start a
football club to keep them occupied and we have been very successful over the
years. Recently the local Ward Councillor held a tournament which we won and
received a set of soccer kit.”
Bisho Full Service School,
coached by Vuyani Hermans, will represent Buffalo City at the provincial
finals. This is just the second time they have entered, and reaching the
provincial final in their second year is a dream come true for the coach.
“I enjoy coaching these young
boys. They listen well and are keen to improve their skills.” Nutrition and
hydration are very important for the provincial final games and the coach has
purchased food and sports drinks in preparation. “We will play many games
on the one day which will be challenging and I want to ensure the boys are
always at their peak,” Hermans said.
Their strategy for the day is
simple, Hermans explained. “My boys are versatile and can adapt quickly.
I hope we don’t play in the first game of the day so we can observe the other
teams an adapt accordingly. That’s how we approached the games at cluster and
district level.”
Saturday’s provincial winner will
go on to compete against the other eight provincial champions at the national
finals in Gauteng on 15th June. The ultimate winner will
represent the country at the world finals in Barcelona. All the teams
will play their final match of the tournament at the RCDE Stadium (home of La
Liga club, Espanyol) in Barcelona, on 12th October 2019.
To celebrate Danone’s centenary
and the 20th edition of the Danone Nations Cup both the 2018 and
2019 world finals will take place together this year. The winner of the
2019 national finals will join last year’s winner, Nomlinganiselo Primary from
the Western Cape.
The world finals are also a platform
for Danone to educate youngster on important brand messaging. “This year coincides with our new brand positioning and purpose, One Planet One Health, which
reflects our belief that the health of humankind and that of the planet are
interlinked and both need to be protected and nurtured, said
Marlinie Kotiah, GS Director, General Secretary, Danone Southern Africa.
“Through the Danone Nations Cup we are contributing to bringing this
vision to life by promoting the importance of exercise. Further, we are
encouraging our young athletes to ‘Play Football, Change the Game’, which is a
rallying message to unite children, irrespective of their backgrounds
and cultures, and to encourage them to become catalysts for positive change,”
concluded Kotiah.
MPUMALANGA FINAL RESULTS:
Participating teams:
ALFRED NZO: Patekile
Primary School
AMATHOLE: Fort Malan
Senior Primary School
BUFFALO CITY: Bisho
Lower Primary School
CHRIS HANI: Ntabelanga
Senior Primary School
JOE CQABI: Maruping
Primary School
NELSON MANDELA BAY: Seyisi
Primary School
OR TAMBO: Guqaza
Primary School
SARAH BAARTMAN: Luxolo Intermediate 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).
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