Interview with Proteas Legend Temba Bavuma about his Foundation and the kids that he mentors

Temba Bavuma is better known for his cricketing ability but he is also very active in mentoring kids from underprivileged backgrounds in South Africa. He is giving them the opportunity to have a chance in life and take the world on as equals with the more affluent kids. His foundation is not only working on helping kids, it is also involved in building sporting facilities. Here is an interview that I did with Temba. For more information about his foundation go to https://www.facebook.com/TBF011/

Is Influencer marketing the way to go?

Following our recent video, we have received inquiries asking for more information on influencer marketing and whether this is relevant during and after the Covid-19 times, and here is our experience and what we believe could well be the way forward.

At Intune we have used this strategy in many of our campaigns over the years, with quite a lot of success. When the strategy has not worked well, the learning has been that you need to be very careful when selecting who you use as your influencer. After all, that person will be advocating the brand that you have spent years building.

The clothing industry, particularly those organisations who use online sales channels, often use influencers. There are case studies showing multi-million dollar industries built on this strategy. The majority of companies dabble with the use of influencers when a situation arises – specials, an event, launching a brand etc.

Influencer marketing is relatively new and is evolving quickly. It is important to know that there are mandatory rules regarding the use of influencers and it is now required to include ’ “sponsored by” when posting and there is an organisation, the Advertising Code of Practice on Social Media’ - introducing rules and regulations that are constantly being updated.

When the strategy first emerged companies were using celebrities at enormous cost. They usually wrote the copy for them and it often came across as stilted and unauthentic. In the worst cases, the celebrities promoted the brand on its social platforms, but on their own platforms, in their own voices, they would be promoting a competitor.

We have come a long way since those days. In targeting the Millennial, or the snowflake generation we have learnt that they generally have a short attention span and get offended easily, so, ‘phoney’ advertising doesn’t go down well. Campaigns that worked at the time were quickly forgotten. There were a few posts and it was over. There was no longevity for the brand.

Enter the micro influencers. They may have fewer followers than the celebrities, but they tend to be seen as credible, authentic, experts in their particular fields with good reputations. While some celebrities can reach a far bigger audience, these marketers can directly reach a target market and align with regular people. They are able to build a strong bond with customers through impactful messaging and so they can create sales or build awareness of a brand, a campaign or a CSR programme.

There is very little to differentiate between the thousands of similar products in the marketplace and research has shown that consumers are too busy and don’t have time to research what is best for them or their family. So, their propensity is to purchase based on recommendations and this is where the influencer is valuable.

How to contract an influencer:

1.      Pick the influencer that is best for your brand. There are agencies that specifically place influencers, but they might not know your brand and they may suggest an unsuitable candidate. So, it’s best to meet the person first and to make sure that they tie in with your brand and your company ethos. 

2.      Be sure that the influencer knows your brand thoroughly and knows what is expected from them. The return on investment that you expect must be clear from the start. 

3.      The influencer must convey the brand message in his or her own style, using his or her unique tone. Let them write the copy themselves, with the brand team’s guidance.

4.      The online messaging coming from the influencer should be blended with the corporate posts that are shared by the organisation.

5.      A longer contract is best to entrench the brand message

6.      Have regular discussions with the influencers to keep them on board, keep them passionate about your brand and make them know that you value their support.

Over the years we have had some classic bloopers with influencers, so you need an excellent understanding of what does and doesn’t work.  We can laugh about it now, but it wasn’t funny at the time!

In comes Covid-19 – how will this affect influencers?

This is an interesting question and only time will tell. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a dramatic effect on global economies and many companies across the world will come out of this battle scarred and it is predicted that this could well mean the slashing of budgets – marketing and sponsorships could well be in the firing line. But this is where influencers could be valuable. 

Stats coming out in the last couple of weeks have seen an overwhelming increase in social media traffic and the length of time we spend on the different platform. We have seen into celebrity homes, heard how they are managing and noted their frustrations and fears are the same as ours. 

Brands that have used celebrities and other influencers in their Covid-19 messages have had incredible traction.  The World Health Organisation effectively used celebrities to promote sanitising, social distancing and the importance of lockdown.  Adidas is using David Beckham and family to promote exercising at home, Liverpool is using all their players and particularly their coach, Jurgen Klopp, to keep their fans updated and show empathy and support during this hard time.  This is merely a few. What we know is that the what the world needs now is empathy, compassion and unity.

We believe there is and will definitely be a place for influencers during and after lockdown.  Covid-19 is not going way!  Sanitising and social distancing will continue for a year or longer.  The world is not the same and brands will continue to use influencers to help drive the message of compassion and empathy.   

In conclusion, it is back to basics as marking teams wade through unchartered territory. There are no rules or worksheets on marketing in a pandemic. Consumers are online at the moment and they are spending more time there! There is a captive audience and brands need to contribute to the conversation. Using influencers/celebrities to be heard is a very good option.

Okiep High School pleased with performances at the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup

Okiep High School finished 6^th overall at the national finals of the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup – six places ahead of their Northern Cape rivals and provincial winners, Rietvale, who are seasoned campaigners at this stage of the tournament.

That’s quite an achievement says Clive De Jongh, team coach and principal of the school, who points out that they have had no prior experience at this level. “This was the first time we qualified while Rietvale have won the provincial finals before, so it was quite an achievement for us to finish well ahead of them,” he said.

“The competition was tougher than we expected and there were no easy games,” explains De Jongh.  But the tournament opened the door for an unbelievable experience for two of my players as they were selected to travel to Johannesburg and participate in a Mamelodi Sundowns camp in November.”

The two –are the coach’s nephew, Gian De Jongh, a striker, and midfielder Lugiano Knopp.

“Personally I learned that I need to prepare for next year’s tournament much earlier than I did this year - I am already drawing up the training schedule,” De Jongh said. “Most of the team that competed this year will be eligible for participation next year, so that will be a big advantage.”

The coach says the standard of play at the finals was extremely high. “The academy teams were very good, in particular, but I am pleased with my boys as we kept to the game plan and managed to close players down, preventing scoring opportunities.”

The biggest challenge facing the team was the 24 trip they took to get to the venue. “The boys were tired, so they did not play well in their first game losing 2 – 0 to Louis Botha Technical High School (Free State).”

De Jongh has 29 years of experience in coaching and holds SAFA level 1 and 2 coaching certificates.  He is very involved in soccer in his community being chairman of Schools football in Okiep and implemented an under-10 soccer league in the town. He is also the school’s tennis coach, and is proud to have coached South African tennis player, Jeff Coetzee.

“Our school is based in a very poor area but I managed to get the Department of Sports, Art, Culture and recreation to build us a state of the art multipurpose sports combo field.”

De Jongh has been very impressed with Sanlam as a sponsor. “I think Sanlam is an ideal brand to associate with soccer as we all need to learn more about financial planning. I look forward to hearing more about Sanlam and how the company can help us all build up our asset bases.”

Results of Northern Cape Schools

HTS Louis Botha 2 vs. Okiep 0

Okiep 3 vs. East High 0

Okiep 1 vs. Ndamase 0

Okiep 3 vs. Eric Nxumalo 2

Clapham 2 vs. Okiep 0

Okiep 1 vs. Benny’s Sports 1

Okiep 0 vs. Mondale 0

Rietvale 0 vs. Harmony 3

Clapham 6 vs.  Rietvale 0

Sebetwane 1 vs. Rietvale 1

Rietvale 0 vs. Freedom Park 1

Rietvale 2 vs. FK Tjiane 1

Freedom Park 1 vs. Rietvale 1

Rietvale 1 vs. Executive Academy 1

Proteas suffer their first defeat in the KFC Mini-Cricket Kids vs Proteas Tour.

Belvue Primary School was the first team to defeat the Proteas in the KFC Mini-Cricket Kids vs Proteas Tour. With a 33 run win on the 5^th of November in Cape Town, they got the KFC Mini-Cricket kids back into the series after the Proteas won the first two matches of the seven match series. 

The Proteas and the Belvue Primary School teams on the day were both mixed sides, providing a great example to all young boys and girls who are getting active with KFC Mini-Cricket across the country that cricket is not a sport for males only.

Winning the toss and electing to field, the Proteas were up against it right from the start. With batting being the strength of the Belvue team, they used it to their advantage early on dispatching Shabnim Ismail and Thami Tsolekile to all parts of the field.

The expected nerves seem to do little to hinder the youngsters against their more seasoned opposition, but just as everything was going great for the KFC Mini-Cricket kids thanks to knocks from Rubin Deppe, Joshua Plaatjies and David Wagner, Alexis le Breton got the Proteas back into the game with two wickets in her first over.

There was little time for celebration for the Proteas team however, as Nicole Numan and Geneva Fillies put Belvue back on the front foot with some inspired stroke making while Rory Kleinveldt battled to find his rhythm. Once they departed, it was then time for Wilma Jones’ son Jesse to show what he was capable off.

Wilma, who’s friend Lana Knipe was the 3^rd winner in the KFC Mini-Cricket kids vs Proteas Tour competition and nominated Belvue Primary School to play against the Proteas, believes her son will be the next Jacques Kallis.

She was filled with excitement as he strode to the crease, but he was sadly bowled first ball by Mosline Daniels. After that initial setback though, he partnered with Waalied Adams and put together a formidable partnership that took the KFC Mini-Cricket kids to a score of 91 in their allotted 8 overs.

In response to the daunting target, the Proteas started slowly as Waalied Adams, the man of the match, was again proving to be a thorn in their side, this time with the ball. At the halfway stage, the Proteas had only 38 runs on the board despite the experienced Alviro Pietersen doing his best at the crease. Needing 53 runs from 24 balls, the Proteas could only manage another 20 runs, and with that, Belvue Primary were the deserving victors.

Team coach and Grade 1 teacher at Belvue Primary, Desiree Layman, was naturally overjoyed by the result; “I am bursting with pride. The kids were very nervous this morning and we were worried that they would not perform the way that we know they can due to their nerves. Some of the players don’t believe enough in themselves but today’s game will give them more confidence”.

From a proud coach to a proud parent, Wilma Jones also had an amazing day watching her son take on the Proteas; “I saw that my son has the temperament to play like Kallis. He started slowly but when he warmed up, he was unstoppable”.

With the Proteas now only leading the series 2-1, the next game at Edleen Primary in Kempton Park provides the KFC Mini-Cricket kids the chance to square things up on December the 19^th. This match takes place on the day before the Proteas play their first KFC T20 International against Pakistan, providing the perfect backdrop to inspire the young cricketers to get active and enjoy themselves against their heroes in a game that they love.

2013 KFC Mini-Cricket Festival Pictures

A KFC Mini-Cricket Kid bowls in a KFC Mini-Cricket match

Unlimited Titans player CJ de Villiers keeps wicket in a KFC Mini-Cricket match

Unlimited Titans player JP de Villiers poses with a KFC Mini-Cricket kid

A KFC Mini-Cricket batter

Unlimited Titans player CJ de Villiers watches a KFC Mini-Cricket match

Excitement builds for the Limpopo KFC Mini-Cricket Festival

The Limpopo Cricket Union will be hosting a KFC Mini-Cricket Festival at the Polokwane Club on Saturday 12^th October with the aim of encouraging more and more kids to get active. Starting at 09:00, a morning of cricketing fun will see a variety of boys and girls from all over the region getting active together.

Differently-abled kids will also be included in the festival, but greater emphasis will be placed on hand-eye coordination, ball catching skills and the basics of the game.

KFC Mini-Cricket has over 100 000 kids actively participating in the programme around the country, with dedicated volunteer coaches sharing their passion for cricket, by helping these youngsters get the most out of the game from an early age.

“The Limpopo  region has an abundance of talent spread far and wide, so it’s important that we host this KFC Mini-Cricket Festival to bring kids and coaches from various backgrounds together to really enjoy the benefits of getting active”, says Lauren Turnbull, Sponsorships Manager of KFC South Africa.

Also attending the Limpopo KFC Mini-Cricket Festival will be local provincial. With so many players currently playing in the various domestic franchises having taken up the game at KFC Mini-Cricket level, it is only fitting that they are present to give needed guidance and inspiration to the kids on the day.

The kids attending the festival will also get the chance to audition to become KFC Mini-Cricket Ambassadors. Not only will this provide them with the opportunity of the provincial players, but successful participants will stand a chance to get active at the KFC T20 Internationals and Ram Slam T20 Challenge by participating in activities such as: the coin toss, taking the field as player escorts and acting as ball boys and girls on the boundaries at the matches.

There is an exciting 2013/14 KFC Mini-Cricket Season ahead of cricket with the KFC Mini-Cricket Kids vs the Proteas Tour. Seven lucky competition winners, selected through a USSD Competition that started on the 8th of September and ended on the 8^th October will get to play a KFC Mini-Cricket game against the Proteas!

The KFC Mini-Cricket Kids vs the Proteas Tour was launched in September with the Proteas, captained by AB De Villiers, beating the KFC Mini-Cricket kids by 15 runs. 

Excitement builds for the Mpumalanga KFC Mini-Cricket

The Mpumalanga Cricket Union will be hosting a KFC Mini-Cricket Festival at the Driekoppies Stadium in Lowveld on Friday 11^th October with the aim of encouraging more and more kids to get active. Starting at 10:00am a morning of cricketing fun will see a variety of boys and girls from all over the region getting active together.

Differently-abled kids will also be included in the festival, but greater emphasis will be placed on hand-eye coordination, ball catching skills and the basics of the game.

KFC Mini-Cricket has over 100 000 kids actively participating in the programme around the country, with dedicated volunteer coaches sharing their passion for cricket, by helping these youngsters get the most out of the game from an early age.

“The Limpopo  region has an abundance of talent spread far and wide, so it’s important that we host this KFC Mini-Cricket Festival to bring kids and coaches from various backgrounds together to really enjoy the benefits of getting active”, says Lauren Turnbull, Sponsorships Manager of KFC South Africa.

Also attending the Mpumalanga KFC Mini-Cricket Festival will be local provincial. With so many players currently playing in the various domestic franchises having taken up the game at KFC Mini-Cricket level, it is only fitting that they are present to give needed guidance and inspiration to the kids on the day.

The kids attending the festival will also get the chance to audition to become KFC Mini-Cricket Ambassadors. Not only will this provide them with the opportunity of the provincial players, but successful participants will stand a chance to get active at the KFC T20 Internationals and Ram Slam T20 Challenge by participating in activities such as: the coin toss, taking the field as player escorts and acting as ball boys and girls on the boundaries at the matches.

There is an exciting 2013/14 KFC Mini-Cricket Season ahead of cricket with the KFC Mini-Cricket Kids vs the Proteas Tour. Seven lucky competition winners, selected through a USSD Competition that started on the 8th of September and ended on the 8^th October will get to play a KFC Mini-Cricket game against the Proteas!

The KFC Mini-Cricket Kids vs the Proteas Tour was launched in September with the Proteas, captained by AB De Villiers, beating the KFC Mini-Cricket kids by 15 runs. 

Executive Academy Wins The Eastern Cape Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup

Executive Academy of Idutywa won the Eastern Cape provincial title in the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup, at the Dumpsey Adams Stadium in Queenstown on 24th August after beating Ndamase Senior Secondary School 1 – 0.  Both schools will compete in the National Finals taking place at the King Zwelethini Stadium, KwaZulu-Natal from 24 – 27 September. 

As provincial champions, the school receives R100 000 to go towards supporting an educational or sport legacy project. According to the coach, Nkosinathi Madiyibhi, the school's governing body is still going to discuss how the money will be spent, but would like to see the funds used to upgrade the science lab - their Life Science laboratory is not well equipped - and they also need a computer lab. "Some soccer kit would also be welcome," he said.

Madiyibhi explains that the Executive Academy is a private school that focuses on education.  “We offer top academic students in the district the opportunity to get the best education possible to be able to become future role models and leaders in boardrooms.”

This is their second time in the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup, having been knocked out in the district stages last year.

Madiyibhi's background is as a referee. He became an official SAFA referee last year, but has been officiating since 2006. When he is not coaching at the school he is a referee for local games in Idutywa.

Ahead of the national finals, Madiyibhi believes their strikers need to sharpen up "They didn’t take enough advantage of the midfielders passing them the ball to set up the goals. The coach identifies Grade 11 striker Yandisa Zaba as a key player for the team."He is good at distributing the ball to his fellow players and always initiates short passes on the field," he said.

Yandisa began playing soccer at 7 years old for United FC in Port Elizabeth. His parents sent him to the Academy as they offer the best grounding in accounts as the player wants to study Accountancy at Wits University when he leaves school.   “While I would love to get scouted by a club like Mamelodi Sundowns, my parents are both academics and want me to get a degree after school and are encouraging me in that direction.”  His mother works for the Department of Agriculture in Umtata and his father teaches at an Adult Based Education and Training centre in Butterworth so education is their focus.  Zaba lives with his coach who persuaded him to join the school soccer team. 

His message to his team is that they shouldn’t lose their team spirit or be intimidated by other teams at the national finals.

Results:

GROUP A                                             GROUP B

Malcomess SSS                                 Ncedo SSS

Executive Academy                        Ndamase SSS

Khanya Naledi SSS                           Kuyasa Combined School

Phakamani SSS

Malcomess (1)                  VS           Executive Academy (0)

Khanya Naledi (1)            VS           Phakamani  (0)

Malcomess (0)                  VS           Khanya Naledi  (1)

Exec Academy (6)            VS           Phakamani  (0)

Malcomess (3)                  VS           Phakamani (0)

Khanya Naledi  (0)           VS           Exec Academy (2)

Ncedo (1)                            VS           Ndamase  (3)

Ncedo   (2)                          VS           Kuyasa  (1)

Ndamase (1)                      VS           Kuyasa (1)

Ncedo (2)                            VS           Malcomess (0)

FINAL

Ndamase (0)                      VS           Executive Academy (1)

About the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup:

·       The tournament is run under the auspices of the South Africa Football Association (SASFA)

   Named after prominent businessman Patrice Motsepe’s late mother, the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup offers the biggest prize money at school level in Africa (R3.4 million in total). 

·       The sponsors are:  Sanlam, the Motsepe Foundation and the Sanlam Ubuntu-Botho Community Development Trust.

·       The primary objective of the tournament is to revive the culture of school football amongst students between the age of 16 and 19 years old.

·       The tournament also gives players the opportunity to showcase their skills to soccer scouts with the talented players being recruited into development structures to be nurtured and shaped into professional players.

Teaser KFC Mini-Cricket Kids vs Proteas Launch Montecasino

FRANCE WINS THE 2013 DANONE NATIONS CUP WORLD FINALS

25.000 people packed the stands at Wembley Stadium to support the world’s biggest international football tournament for 10-12 year olds

Over 400 children from around the world descended into Wembley Stadium on Saturday to celebrate the world’s largest international football tournament for 10-12 year olds at the Danone Nations Cup World Final. The event saw the world’s most promising U12 football teams compete at the iconic stadium.

International legend and Danone Nations Cup Ambassador, Zinédine Zidane, cheered the teams throughout the afternoon and took part in football chants and a giant Mexican wave alongside national tournament Ambassadors John Scales (UK), Tom Ince (UK) and Gheorghe Hagi (Romania). During the tense final between France and Brazil, it was 0-0 at the final whistle which took the game into penalties. Team France, were crowned the international winners as they beat Brazil on penalties (3:1), and were presented with their winning trophy by Zidane at the official tournament prize ceremony.

Amongst the 32 national teams, Team South Africa showcased their footballing talents in front of a lively crowd and beat Bulgaria 7 – 6 on penalties to clinch 29^th position.  But where team South Africa scored the most was on the dance floor, even trading pennants by some countries for a few dance lessons.  So impressed were the organisers of their talent they were asked to perform at the opening ceremony. “We learnt such a lot about different cultures,” said Teboho Msiza, the kids reporter who travelled with the team.  “But the country we bonded the most with was Bulgaria.  They could all speak English and some of our team got to learn to speak the language better as well.”  What the youngster enjoyed the most was improving his interviewing skills.

The event, which was hosted by British Olympic sprinter Iwan Thomas and TV presenter Abi Griffiths and included a special performance from Britain’s Got Talent winners Diversity, football freestyler demonstrations and a giant zorbing competition which took place on the pitch.

Awards were presented to the ‘Best Player’ of the tournament, Hiro Satho from Japan, the ‘Fair Play’ award went to the country of Japan for their presentation of the fair play oath, 3^rd place went to Japan, 2^nd to Brazil and the winners were France.

Zinédine Zidane, Danone Nations Cup Ambassador, said: “A massive congratulations to France for winning this year’s Danone Nations Cup World Final. The teams all showed tremendous skill and professionalism on the pitch and I’m very proud to be a part of a fantastic program to help children develop their love for football and grow with respect for themselves and others around them. I wish everyone the best of luck in the future.”

Coach of the host team, Ian Forgie of England, said: “The atmosphere at Wembley was incredible. Our team are so grateful for everyone who came down to watch and support us and all the international team. It is an experience the kids will never forget and we are delighted to have been part of this and send our thanks to Danone.”

Over the Danone Nations Cup’s fourteen-year history, the tournament has established itself as a highly respected event and gained official FIFA endorsement. By bringing this competition to the UK on the anniversary of the 2012 Games, Danone showed real commitment to helping deliver a sustainable activity, health and sports legacy. From this, the 2013 World Final was officially recognized by the 'Inspired By 2012' campaign.

Nicolas Riom, Managing Director for Danone UK & Ireland, said: “For Danone, it is more than just a competition. It is a way of putting into practice the company's mission, to bring health through food to as many people as possible, by teaching children about the positive values of sport and the importance of a proper diet and exercise. This year, we are fully supporting the award-winning healthy eating education program for primary schools, ‘Eat Like a Champ’, which we have created in collaboration with the British Nutrition Foundation and in support of the Change 4 Life campaign.”

Surrey Sports Park in Guildford played host to the 32 national teams whom stayed on site, took part in various training and nutritional learning games and activities. The Danone Nations Cup World Final event is designed to symbolize a professional football camp so the children involved experience playing abroad, competing in a competitive environment, and living and learning together.

The week-long event kicked-off with an official opening ceremony where the children performed national dances alongside signing the oath to the ‘Fair Play’ rule. Openness, respect and fair play are the core principles on which the event is built upon. Everyone involved in the competition - children, coaches and accompanying adults – undertakes a promise to respect these values by signing an ethical charter at the opening ceremony.

Next year the Danone Nations Cup World Final will take place in Brazil.

FINAL RANKINGS

1 France

2 Brazil

3 Japan

4 Ireland

5 Mexico

6 Netherlands

7 USA

8 Indonesia

9 England

10 Russia

11 Czech Republic

12 Argentina

13 Spain

14 Canada

15 Italy

16 Saudi Arabia

17 South Korea

18 Uruguay

19 Belgium

20 Germany

21 Algeria

22 China

23 Switzerland

24 Belarus

25 Chile

26 Turkey

27 Morocco

28 Romania

29 South Africa

30 Bulgaria

31 Ukraine

32 Tunisia

Welabasha High School Wins The KZN Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup Provincial Final.

Welabasha High School from the UThungulu District of KwaZulu-Natal is the next school to go through to the national finals of the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup competition.  They made it through by beating Sibongumusa High School 5 – 4 on penalties to take the KZN provincial title in Ladysmith last weekend.

 

The ultimate prize in the competition is R1 million to be used to fund sporting and educational projects.  For winning the KwaZulu-Natal title, Welabasha were given R100 000 which, according to Sandile Sabelo, their coach, will be put to good use. “The school still needs to decide what to do, but I want us to focus on building a proper pitch as we train on a field that is filled with rocks and it’s unsafe for the players,” he said. “We also need to buy each player a pair of boots. They don’t all have their own, and sometimes they have to borrow.”

 

This is the first time they have made it to the provincials.  “In previous years the downfall was the team’s level of fitness and their mental game,” Sabelo said. “This year I think we are better. We train 4 times a week for 2 hours and on weekends we have a friendly game. Before the provincials I sat down with my team and informed them about the benefits that this tournament could bring into the schools if we ended up winning the R1 million. “The boys now understand that we need to win this tournament so that we can have our own soccer field.”

 

Sabelo has been coaching for 6 years and has an Introductory Coaching Course certificate from SAFA. “Apart from those qualifications, it’s my passion for soccer that drives me to coach,” he said.

 

He believes that the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup is doing big things for soccer development in the province. “More and more schools, particularly in the rural areas, are getting involved in the tournament, not just because we can win money that will help us be more effective as a school, but also we get to travel and play against other teams and learn more about the game, and of course it is the scouts that come and watch the games giving our youngsters the opportunity of taking their soccer to the next level. 

 

“We stress the importance of education to our boys and the importance of a balance between academics and soccer. The players know that if they want to be called up to the academies they have to have the right marks.”

 

The coach identifies right wing Philani Biyela as a key player in the team. “He is in grade 12, on top of his class academically and a talented player for the team,” he said.

 

Philani takes his school work very seriously. “After matriculating I want study Social Services and become a Social Worker and help in my community,” he said. “And while I am studying hopefully I will also become a professional soccer player.”

Ends

 

 

About the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup:

·       The tournament is run under the auspices of the South Africa Football Association (SASFA)

   Named after prominent businessman Patrice Motsepe’s late mother, the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup offers the biggest prize money at school level in Africa (R3.4 million in total). 

·       The sponsors are:  Sanlam, the Motsepe Foundation and the Sanlam Ubuntu-Botho Community Development Trust.

·       The primary objective of the tournament is to revive the culture of school football amongst students between the age of 16 and 19 years old.

·       The tournament also gives players the opportunity to showcase their skills to soccer scouts with the talented players being recruited into development structures to be nurtured and shaped into professional players.

 

Can Harmony increase their Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup winnings this year?

To date, Harmony High School from Virginia in the Free State is the most successful school in the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup, having won R2,2 million in prize money between 2010 and 2012. According to Team Manager Hector Mokhali, the team competing in the 2013 Free State Provincial finals, happening on Saturday, 7 September, at the Mangaung Outdoor Sports  Centre in Bloemfontein, might be young and inexperienced, but have what it takes to win some of the R3.2 prize money on offer this year.

The school won R700 000 in 2010 after finishing in second place and winning the provincial finals, in 2011 the school won R1 million first prize and in 2012 finished in third place taking home R500 000.   “The funds we have won to date have made a massive difference to the school learner’s lives, and the surrounding community,” said Mokhali.  “We have a 44-seater bus, 3 mini-buses, a TV and projector, sprinkler system to keep our sports fields in top condition and we have even donated R20 000 worth of sports kit to an underprivileged school in our community.”

But Mokhali says there is still a lot that is needed and the school Under-19 team is working hard at training to finish in first place next Saturday.  “We want a projector in every classroom,” he said.

Harmony won the Lejwelepotsoa district playoffs, despite a team that consists mainly of new players.  “These players are new to this competition and will be a little bit nervous, but we are expecting them to seize the opportunity, and follow in the previous players footsteps.” The team has played 14 games in the tournament so far, and has won them all. “Our aim is to continue our winning streak,” Mokhali said. “At the same time, we encourage our kids to have fun.  Commitment is what has brought us to where we are today.”

Mokhali believes the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Cup plays a huge role in soccer development in the country. “I think it helps young players as well as schools and community at large.  South African soccer has improved as a result and it particularly benefits the rural areas as they get the opportunity to see the best coaching and players in the country and improve their own game. Coaches also get to attend SAFA coaching clinics and then go back into the communities to put this into practise.

However Mokhali believes South Africa still has a long way to go to compete internationally.  “In many parts of the world there are extensive and sophisticated programmes with kids entering them from the age of 5. We do not have that in our country. Our clubs are also not as wealthy and don’t have very sophisticated programmes in place. That’s why competitions like the Sanlam Kay Motsepe School Cup are so important,” he said.

Competing teams:

Fezile Dabi	Dr Reginald Cingo High
Lejweleputsoa	Harmony High
Thabo Mofutsanyane	Mohato Secondary
Xhariep	Lere la thuto
Xhariep	Ipetleng High
Motheo

About the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup:

·       The tournament is run under the auspices of the South Africa Football Association (SASFA)

   Named after prominent businessman Patrice Motsepe’s late mother, the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup offers the biggest prize money at school level in Africa (R3.4 million in total). 

·       The sponsors are:  Sanlam, the Motsepe Foundation and the Sanlam Ubuntu-Botho Community Development Trust.

·       The primary objective of the tournament is to revive the culture of school football amongst students between the age of 16 and 19 years old.

·       The tournament also gives players the opportunity to showcase their skills to soccer scouts with the talented players being recruited into development structures to be nurtured and shaped into professional players.