The 2019 Danone Nations Cup is in full swing with five
provincial winners identified. Gauteng will be the last province to host
their finals on 7th June in Germiston. In preparation for the
provincials, schools across the province are participating in gruelling
qualifiers.
The Johannesburg Primary Schools Football Association
(JPSFA) will once again be holding a tournament with 20 schools registered to
compete. Sacred Heart College in Observatory will host the finals this
year on 20th, 21st and 22nd May from 2pm each
day. Entrance is free. The winner on Wednesday will compete in the
Gauteng provincial finals.
St David’s Marist are the current JPSFA champions and
will be in action again this year under student coach, Thato Nkabinde, who is
an ex pupil and has been coaching at the school for the past five years while
studying for his Business Management degree.
“I started coaching the under-12’s this year. We
have only just started our soccer season, which is a disadvantage when entering
such a big tournament. I have selected my squad, but this will need to be
trimmed to 12, as per the Danone Nations Cup rules. Our first training
session was this week, so I have not had time to finalise formations and
strategies, but I know I have a potentially great team. I can’t say we
will win this year, but the boys will put on an excellent display of football.”
2018 runners up, Heronbridge will also be back in action
this year. Like St David’s, the soccer season has just started, but coach
Vele Mbanjwa is blessed with having many of last year’s boys back in action
again. “I have a great team this year. Our star striker from last
year is back in action and three of my players recently received a call up to
join the Far North Team. Our experienced boys are currently educating the
youngsters on the enormity of this amazing, well run competitive tournament.”
Vele, who is the physical education and sports educator,
has just completed his SAFA D, or introductory licence and the knowledge he has
gained will make a difference in preparing the boys mentally, physically,
nutritionally and tactically for the forthcoming season. “The course gives us
important insight into the development of the youth and how to coach them at
different ages.”
A school that could well prove tough to beat is Norwood
Primary School. They competed in the tournament in 2017 but missed out
last year. Coach and manager, Johannes Ledwaba is an experienced youth
coach with Belfour Park and has attended many coaching clinics arranged by his
club. One being with international youth coaches from Arsenal Football
Club in the United Kingdom.
“Our soccer season has just started but I have an
excellent squad this year and feel confident they will put on a great
performance. We have already competed in a couple of friendly matches, so
we are ready. My biggest challenge is that not all the players are able
to make every training session due to transport problems. The Danone
Nations Cup is an excellent tournament as it allows the players to prove
themselves. There is a different dynamic when competing on a smaller
field with fewer players. They all need to work hard. It exposes
the hard workers and talented players. It is exciting!
The ultimate JPSFA winner will go on to compete in the
Gauteng provincial final in Germiston with the champions there going on to
represent the province in the national finals taking place at Reiger Park on
Saturday, 15th June.
The national winner will join 19
other countries at the world finals taking place in Spain. The teams will
play their final match at the RCDE Stadium (home of La Liga club, Espanyol) in
Barcelona, on 12th October.
PARTICIPARTING SCHOOLS:
Blairgowrie Primary School
Bryneven Primary School
Crawford College Fourways
Crawford College Sandton
Deutsche Internationale Schule
Glenhazel Primary School
Greenside Primary School
HA Jack Primary School
Heronbridge College
Houghton Primary School
Hurley Primary School
Maryvale College
Northwest Christian School
Norwood Primary School
Orange Grove Primary School
Reddam House, Bedfordview
Rembrandt Park School
Sacred Heart College
St Davids Marist
The Kings School Robinhills
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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