Follow us on https://www.facebook.com/DNCSouthAfrica
The four schools that will be competing in
the under-12 Danone Nations Cup Mpumalanga provincial soccer finals will be
fielding their strongest teams in an attempt to clinch the trophy and get the
opportunity to travel to Gauteng for the national finals.
But it doesn’t stop there, in the 20 years
since the launch of the tournament, only one school from the province has made
it to the world finals and all four believe it’s about time Mpumalanga got to
that level again. This year the world
finals will take place at the RCDE
Stadium, Barcelona, Spain between 10th and 12th October
2019.
The provincial finals will take place at
the Mpumalanga Stadium in Ermelo on Saturday 4 May. Entrance is free and the games kick-off at
10am.
The teams that have qualified are:
Nelsville Combined School (Nelspruit, Ehlanzeni district), Robert Carruthers
School (Emalahleni, Nkangala district), Qambekile Primary School (Ermelo, Gert
Sibande district) and Mahlambandlopfu Primary School (Bushbuckridge, representing
Bohlabela district)
Qambekile are in the provincial finals for
the first time and, according to their coach, Sboniso Sithole, it’s because he allowed
more time for preparation. “I teach Grade 7 Mathematics and it takes up a lot
of my time. This year I decided to put
in extra time to prepare the team better and this has paid off.”
Sithole is a passionate soccer coach and
plays for the local Department of Education team but has no formal coaching
qualifications. “I am not concerned at
not having a coaching qualification as I am coached by a professional at club
level and he gives me all the help I need to take back to the boys.
“Competing at district level was excellent
for the boys. We were up against some good
teams and I learnt a lot and the week prior to the provincials will be spent
correcting mistakes and implementing what we learnt. I am passionate about soccer and watch a lot
of games from around the world on television.
I would really like to take the team to Barcelona. I’m very motivated
and feel we are in the running for the trip.
Having home ground advantage will help us as well.”
Coach Peter Tau from Robert Carruthers
School also believes he has a good chance of winning. “I have a pretty decent team this year,” he
said. “We reached the provincial finals two years ago and we might not have won
but I learnt a lot and we have implemented many new strategies which has made a
great difference to the team. Our
captain and striker is a particularly talented player who reads the game
well. He is a great sports all-rounder
who also competes in sprinting and high jump. Being a good athlete helps a lot
on the soccer field.”
The coach started the season off with a
braai including the players and their parents.
“It was motivating for the boys. Parents
are of critical importance to kids as their support makes them try harder and
work better. If we get into the
nationals we will repeat this.”
It is also a first for Nelsville Combined
School from Nelspruit. Their new team
manager, Sizwe Mthethwa, is impressed with the performance of the team. “Hard work and commitment are what helped us
get through to the provincial finals. It is our first time in the provincial
finals, but I believe it is a first for most of the others as well, so the
playing field is level,” he said.
Coach, Rewano Swarts has been with the team for several years and has done wonders with the boys believes Mthethwa. “Our midfielder, Jayden and left wing, Milano are exceptional players and should make their mark on the weekend. They both play for the local club, FC Leopards, which is a help for us.”
The final team competing in Ermelo is
Mahlambandlopfu Primary School from Bushbuckridge. The coach, Clive Maluka, started working full
time at the school as the mathematics and life skills teacher at the beginning
of the year and also teaches physical education and opted to run sport. “Sport
has not been a priority at the school for many reasons, one being the lack of
facilities. On joining I decided this
must change as I have seen the important role sport plays in education.”
Maluka is the only male teacher at the
school. “I am passionate about
soccer. No one can tell me anything
about any club whether it be Manchester United, Liverpool, Sundowns or Kaizer
Chiefs as I watch every game and learn from them. One of my subjects that I did when studying
for my education degree was sports management and that is my
qualification. It has taught me a lot about
the development of the human body and when and how to get the best out of young
players.”
Maluka worked in Corporate Social
Investment in the corporate world until the company he was working for closed
its doors. “With the support of my wife
I decided to change focus and studied for my education degree through
Unisa. In the meantime, I worked with
the kids in the townships teaching them soccer.
I have now set up and NPO with some of my local friends in Bushbuckridge
and we will be starting a soccer development programme. I have seen how little there is around here
to keep the youngsters entertained and we plan to make a huge difference in the
local community,” he said.
South Africa is one of only two countries
that have won the world finals three times: in 2003, 2007 and 2009.
The 2018 and 2019 world finals will take
place as a double-header in celebration of Danone’s centenary and the 20th
edition of the Danone Nations Cup.
“It
is an important year for Danone,” explained Chantel Ehlers, Internal
Communications Manager, Danone Southern Africa.
“Not only is Danone turning 100 and it is the 20th edition of
the Danone Nations Cup, but this year also 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. 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.”
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).
No comments:
Post a Comment