Draw for the Danone Nations Cup World Finals puts South Africa in Group D

In a month’s time Siphumelele Primary School, from Inanda, Pinetown, KZN, will be playing their final Danone Nations Cup World Final football match in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Groupe Danone held a draw in Brazil this week which put South Africa in Group D with Mexico, Belgium and Indonesia.

The team won the right to travel to Brazil for this once in a lifetime experience by winning the Danone Nations Cup South Africa title and, according to their coach, Siboniso Ndwandwe, preparations are going well.

“After a short holiday the boys are now back at school and it is back to training,” said Ndwandwe. “The South African Schools Football Association has assigned us a qualified coach, Mr Yengwa, who comes twice a week and Neil Tovey (ex Bafana Bafana captain and Kaizer Chiefs player now tournament ambassador) will be visiting our school next week to give us a coaching session.  I have seen the draw and believe it is in our favour and we have a good chance of progressing to the next round.”

The school has also been given the use of a pitch to train on at nearby Nhlanhla Secondary School, which is in much better condition than their own community field, and they are getting assistance from sponsors Danone, who gave the school  over 40 000 cups of Ultramel yoghurt as well as 30 boxes of Muesli. 

“We were overwhelmed with all the product that Danone has given us.  Not only is it being used to help the team build stamina, strength and bone density in preparation for Brazil, but it is also feeding the entire school of over 1 000 pupils. Being in a rural community most of the children’s parents do not work and they rely on government grants and only eat one small meal a day.”

The KZN Department of Education will be hosting a send-off breakfast next Wednesday, which will be attended be the local government officials, the school’s Governing Body as well as the teachers and team. “They will be wishing us well and motivating us before we leave,” Ndwandwe said.

At this stage, it’s all about concentrating on the basics in training, the coach said. “We want to keep it simple and not over-complicate things for the players, so we are concentrating on the basic skills: defending attacking, ball possession and building up stamina,” he said.

“The boys have been consistent in their improvement and are mastering the basics. I can safely say that each player has improved tremendously on their performance at the nationals. They are also more disciplined.”

The excitement is building at the school and in the community ahead of the departure date. “Not a day goes by without the boys talking about going to Brazil and we have to try to keep them calm and focused on school work as they also need to do well in their final exams,” Ndwandwe said.

The coach is impressed with the team’s commitment and discipline. “It would be great to come back with the trophy, but I know that the competition will be tough and I tell the boys that it is all about having fun and they must make the most of this wonderful experience.  There are not many boys in rural areas that travel to other countries, specifically Brazil,” he said

Gauteng school hopes to repeat their Danone Nations Cup past success

Johannesburg’s Bree Primary School will always be remembered as the school that won an under-12 Danone Nations Cup world title for South Africa.

In 2010 they won the world finals at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, after the previous year’s tournament in Brazil was held over because of the worldwide outbreak of H1N1 influenza (swine flu). So, they are the official 2009 Danone Nations Cup world champions, and they represented South Africa in the 2008 world finals in France as well.

They will be trying to relive those glory days this year and the first step will be on Saturday 14^th June at Reiger Park’s WJ Clements Stadium when they play in the Gauteng provincial finals of the competition. Games kick-off at 9am.  Gauteng is the final province to host their finals with the nine provincial winners going on to compete in the national finals on 28 June to determine the school to represent South Africa at the World Finals in Brazil.

Bree Primary School’s principal Devanand Kalicharran is also the team’s manager. He recalls 2010 fondly. “We were happy that we won this prestigious tournament at home with our supporters cheering us on. The Danone Nations Cup changed the lives of the 2008 and 2009 players; travelling abroad, being in newspapers, doing interviews, meeting our legendary past president, Mr Nelson Mandela and meeting kids from all around the world showed them they can achieve anything that they want to achieve in life,” he said.

Kalicharran puts the success of those teams down to hard work. “You need to work hard in order to obtain maximum results and that’s what the 2008 and 2009 teams did,” he said. “Both teams were made up of determined individuals who wanted to bring change to the school and I guess sharing the same goal made it possible for us to win even though it was not easy.”

Kalicharran says he tries to keep in touch with some of those players. Some are still studying at high school and others are at university. “Our captain of the winning team in 2009 was Njabulo Magubane who is currently studying and he plays for the South African under- 19 team.  He regularly comes to the school and helps us with coaching. He does motivational talks with the students, especially with the aspiring soccer players at the school,” Kalicharran said.

The current Bree Primary team has been groomed since 2012 and have done well so far this year. “Playing in the districts was tough but we managed to pull through all those games,” Kalicharran said. “We need to focus on our strikers and mid fielders, they need to create more chances and score goals. I believe that they are capable of repeating what the 2008 and 2009 teams did.”

Bafana Dlamini, who coached the 2009 world champion team, is still in charge of the team. “The team’s progress has been due to his excellent coaching skills and he strongly believes that this team could well win the title for the school, ´ said Kalicharran. “We are both very passionate about soccer and about making a difference in the lives of these boys. That’s why we enter this tournament because we know that it will have a huge impact in their lives and on their soccer careers.”

Kalicharran is reluctant to single out individual players. “The entire team is brilliant; I can’t single out one specific player as they play as a united front. I appreciate their dedication, they are young but their attitude is that of professional players.”

The schools participating in the Gauteng provincial finals are:

Bree Primary School-Johannesburg South region

Lotus Primary School- Tshwane West region

Sihluziwe Primary-Gauteng North region

Sonqoba Primary-Ekurhuleni South region

Faramere Primary-Ekurhuleni North region

Matlhasedi Primary-Gauteng West

Arcon Park Primary-Sedibeng East

Nationwide Primary-Johannesburg South

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Mpumalanga School causes upset at U-12 Danone Nations Cup Provincial Finals

Witbank’s Johannes Kananda Primary School is the new Mpumalanga Danone Nations Cup provincial champion.  They earned the title after defeating 2013 national champions, Daniye Primary School,    2 – 0 in the final that took place at the Mhluzi Stadium in Middleburg this past weekend.

J Kananda will now join eight other provincial winners at the national finals taking place at the Reiger Park Stadium in Boksburg on 28 June, where coach, Kabu Thebyane is hoping that his school will repeat what Daniye did last year and win the trip to represent South Africa at the World Finals.  This year the trip is to Brazil later this year.

“We prepared long enough for the provincials and winning was our first goal and now for the finals,” Thebyane said. “The team was called up at school assembly on Monday and they enjoyed the recognition they received, but now it’s back to hard work.”

“Winning the provincial title is a fantastic achievement for my youngsters, but we still need to prove ourselves in Gauteng against the eight other provinces. We know the competition will be tough, but I believe in my team and what’s important is that they also believe in themselves too.”

Thebyane said he is going to call on a few experienced coaches that he knows to help with their preparations. He will also arrange practice matches against club teams. “In the past I have organised games against older teams and they have proven to me that they can play against any team,” he said. “We don’t know what to expect in Gauteng so that’s why I have to cover all bases.”

Siphesihle Masina, an 11 year-old midfielder, is one of the team’s key players. Siphesihle’s love for the game began by watching matches on TV and playing with his friends in the street. “I taught myself how to play and last year I attended trails at the school and the coach chose me to be part of the team and he said that he saw potential in me,” he said.

“It’s my first time competing in this tournament and I thought that the games went very well and I got an opportunity to  interact with other teams even though I was intimidated at first.” Siphesihle describes the goal he scored against Daniye in the provincial final as exciting. “Scoring that goal made me realise that I should not be intimidated by them, I can play soccer as well as they can,” he said.

“We came into the provincial finals with a goal and we made sure that we achieved that goal, we saw last year’s winners Daniye in newspapers and radio stations were talking about them, We also want to experience that,” said young Siphesihle.

“Our coach Mr Thebyane told us that the competition is going to be extremely tough going forward. I am nervous because I don’t know what to expect in Gauteng, but I told myself that I will play like I have been playing and put more effort in training. My teammates and I are going to do our best to make sure that we win the nationals.”

Competing Schools

Nkangala District - Kananda Primary

Bohlabela District - Daniye Primary

Ehlanzeni District - Tenteleni Primary

Gert Sibande District - Nqobile Primary

Results

Daniye 1 (2) vs. J Kananda 1 (3)

Nqobile 1 vs. Tenteleni 0

Nqobile 0 (3) vs. Daniye 0 (1)

J Kananda 0 vs. Tenteleni 2

Tenteleni 0 vs. Daniye 1

J Kananda 1 vs. Nqobile 0

Final

Daniye 0 vs. J Kananda 2

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Tshwane schools prepare for Danone Nations Cup playoffs

The Gauteng inter-district playoff of the under-12 Danone Nations Cup will take place on 28^th and 29^th May and two Pretoria schools - Lotus Primary School in the Tshwane West District and Northridge Primary School in Tshwane North – have emerged as hot contenders.

Three years ago, when Lotus Primary played in their first Danone Nations Cup, they realised that the competition was tough and if they wanted to get somewhere in the tournament they would have to start preparing much earlier.  Fast forward to 2014, the then 8 and 9 year olds are now 11 and 12 and, according to their coach, Ernest Bennett, they have the confidence, experience and are equipped to deal with the high level of competition in the tournament.

“The boys are strong in their passes, footwork and their speed has improved tremendously, I believe this is the year that we are going to represent Gauteng at the nationals,” he said.

Bennett doesn’t think his players are intimidated by the opposition. “All the boys play for local teams, some of them in the under-13 leagues, so they are physically and mentally fit, they have a clear and better understanding of the game, We played 6 school in the cluster games and won all, the boys are hungry and determined to win this tournament this year .”

Bennett describes his coaching style as restrained. “I refuse to shout at players while they are playing. I only talk to them during half time and tell them what they should and shouldn’t be doing. We are dealing with young minds, they need to be free with you and not be scared to voice their opinions.”

Themba Skhosana, a left wing, is the key player in the team. “He is tricky and uses the ball effectively, he was the man of the match on Saturday when we played our district qualifier games,” Bennett said. “He is a quality player and always gives his best in every game; you should definitely be on the lookout for him.”

Northridge Primary School coach, Noel Nquku, also believes his team has a good chance of going further in the competition.  

This is just the second time the school has played in the tournament and Nquku said they used last year to see what it was all about, this time he thinks they can go much further. “This year we are coming into the tournament with a better understanding of the competition and we are better prepared and are ready for the challenge,” he said.

All of last year’s players are back in the squad, so they are familiar with the tournament, they have gained the experience and are confident that this year they will take the title, said Nquku. “Our performance has improved from last year, the players are more vigilant and their passing skills are better,” Nquku said.

The team is playing in a local schools league in preparation and Nquku said they are using that to strategise and to decide on formations.

“The boys are motivated by the idea of going to Brazil if they win the national title and they always have that at the back of their minds every time they play a game in this tournament.”

The team’s captain, midfielder Katlego Molase, left wing Lebohang Maseko and right wing Brilliance Mokekwa are the players Nquku will be looking to produce the goods for the team in the regional finals. “They make a dynamite team and have proved to be the best,” he said

The Gauteng provincial finals will take place at Reiger Park, Boksburg, on 14 June.

Ketleng Primary to represent North West at the Danone Nations Cup National Finals

Kgetleng Primary School from Swartruggens in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district, have booked their place in next month’s Danone Nations Cup national finals by winning the North West provincial title of the competition.

They beat Agisanang Primary School in the final, played at the Ikageng Stadium in Potchefstroom last weekend and will be competing in Boksburg against the other eight provincial champions for the national title and, with it, a trip to Brazil to play in the Danone Nations Cup world finals.

After years of competing in the tournament, this is the first time they have reached the nationals, said an excited team manager, Benjamin Ngcuka. “2014 is definitely our year,” he said. “We have waited a long time for this win and the school and the team are excited and have not stopped celebrating since Saturday. After we got back from the game, we paraded around the neighbourhood informing the community that we won the provincial final and we will be representing North West in Gauteng and they joined in and celebrated with us.”

Ngcuka said that the provincial finals were tough, but the team enjoyed themselves. “We played well as a team, but we do need to work on individual skills,” he said. “Some of the boys waste balls and they lack the finishing touch. I will have one-on-one training sessions ahead of the national finals to remedy this.”

Of excitement to the boys was the fact that a member of the North West Bokamoso Youth Soccer Academy attended the provincial finals and they are hoping that some might be scouted to join up with them.  “Some of our boys have already attended trials for the local PSL club, Platinum Stars, and having more scouts at this tournament gives the boys a second chance,” said Ngcuka.

“But the main thing is that the boys develop a love of the sport as with this comes passion and the drive to take the sport to greater heights,” Ngcuka said. “We want to see them playing for PSL teams or even the national team one day and are doing everything in our powers to ensure that they are successful.”

Looking ahead to the national finals, Ngcuka said they are going to play as many friendly games as possible, but admits you can never be fully prepared for any tournament. “Our focus will be on ball skills, tackling and scoring techniques. That’s were our team’s downfall lies most of the time, so tackling those issue before is crucial for the team. “

The mental side is also important and Ngcuka said he tells the players not to underestimate their own soccer skills and capabilities, just because a school is from Gauteng it does not mean that they are better than the rest. “All they need to do is play like they have been playing throughout the tournament and don’t take into account the province the school comes from,” he said.

Results

Kgetleng PS 0 vs Manamolela PS 0 (Manamolela won on penalties).

Mphe Batho PS 0 vs Agisanang PS 0 (Mphe Batho won on penalties).

Mphe Batho PS 0 vs Kgetleng PS 1

Manamolela PS 0 vs Agisanang PS 1

Agisanang PS 0 vs Kgetleng PS 2

Manamolela PS 2 vs Mphe Batho PS 0

FINAL

Kgetleng PS 1 vs Agisanang PS 0

Schools that have qualified for the national finals to date are:

Roodepan Primary (Northern Cape)

Siphumelele Primary (KZN)

Credo Primary (Free State)

Rev MP Malatjie Primary (Limpopo)

Kgetleng Primary (North West)

The next provincial final will take place at the Mhluzi Stadium, Middleburg on 17 May.

A school from Alexandra prepares for Danone Nations Cup play-offs

Thomas Moswane and Lota Kekana, the under-12 soccer coaches at Iphutheng Primary School in Alexandra, are hard at work preparing their team to play in the district finals of the Danone Nations Cup tournament, which take place on 19^th May.

They took time out last weekend to attend a one-day Powerade Coaching Clinic run by the Dutch Football Association in Pretoria and, head coach, Kekana said the lessons learnt were valuable and will help him train for next week’s games.  “I also found the Dutch football philosophy in training youngster interesting.  What is key is to keep it simple, you need repetition and very importantly, every training drill must produce a result, even if there is a flat line at the back and no goal posts. It’s important to instill a winning philosophy into the kids at an early age,” he said.

Kekana said they have played 8 cluster games to date and had won them all. The school was the runner up at last year’s provincial finals and they aim to go one better this time around.

“We have a better team this year,” he said, “I also have 2 exceptional players in left wing Tebatso Sekoaleng and striker Josef Maphuru. They both play for a local club which gives them a huge advantage over the rest of the team. They know how to create space and are able to anticipate. They have been instrumental in the school’s success in the Danone Nations Cup so far.”

Chess coach and soccer assistant coach, Moswane, explained that education is the main focus in the school. “Last year approximately 15 of our students received bursaries to different high schools and four went to the Leap Science School.”

“We are very proud of the students.  We are a no-fees school and the players do not even have their own boots and have to borrow from friends and other teams in the area,” said Moswane, who believes that sport is very important. “It keeps kids healthy and physically fit and heals the mind.  Many have endured a lot of suffering and sport helps to clear the mind and gives pure enjoyment,” he said.

Maphuru explains his training technique.  “Soccer is a team sport so I encourage the players to make friends as they need to rely on each other in a game situation and it is helpful if they are friends. I also say they need to be free and see me as a member of the team and not their coach, they need to feel free to play their best.”

The Danone Nations Cup Provincial Finals will take place at WJ Clements Stadium, Reiger Park on 14 June.

Limpopo Primary School heads to Gauteng to play in the Danone Nations Cup National Finals

Sheshego’s Rev MP Malatjie Primary School won the Limpopo Danone Nations Cup provincial finals and will be heading for Johannesburg to play in the national finals on the 28^th June.  If they win there they will represent South Africa at the World Finals in Brazil later in the year.

They earned that right after beating Chuchekani Primary on penalties in the final of the provincial playoffs at the Seshego Stadium in Polokwane.

Their coach, Phillip Nkwe, was overjoyed at their success. “For years we have been striving for the opportunity to represent our province at the national finals and this is our year,” he said.

They advanced to the final despite losing their opening game in the playoffs, to Mashamba Combined School by 1 - 0, and Nkwe puts that down to nervousness. “I could see that the team was not playing like they normally do, so after the game we had a team talk and I told them to overcome their fears and to play with confidence, after all the other players were all feeling the same way.” he said. “We then went on to beat Kgwatlhele 3-0 in our next game and it was like watching a completely different team. They just needed that motivation to keep them going.”

Nkwe acknowledges that the pressure is now on them. “Perhaps being our first experience at the national finals might put us under more pressure than those teams that have been there before, but every year we all have different teams, so the playing field is level now and we have just as much chance of winning as all the other schools,” he said.

He said the school has enlisted the help of local team owners and coaches in their preparations. “I know that the standard of football will be higher at the national finals and I want to make sure we are ready for it.”

The team won four games in the provincial finals, three of them on penalties, which shows they are able to operate under pressure, Nkwe said. “The level of football was high and competitive. Every school played their best as everyone wanted to win and get a chance to play for the trip to Brazil to play in the World Finals.

Nkwe’s strategy now is to focus on scoring goals and finding ways of controlling the boys’ nerves when they are playing in a different environment. The thought of going to Brazil, the football capital of the world, is very exciting for the boys and Nkwe believes they are up to the challenge and will do everything possible to make sure that they win the nationals and go to Brazil.

When asked what the boys wanted to see in Brazil it was the stadiums that caught their interest; “And meet the team they will be competing against in the Danone Nations Cup World Finals as, after all, Brazil has been the most successful country in terms of FIFA World Cup tournaments and it all starts from a young age and the boys are hoping to learn a trick or two from them,” Nkwe said.

Limpopo Provincial Finals Results

Chuchekani 5 vs Bonwankwe 0

Mashamba 1 vs Rev MP Malatjie 0

Kgwatlhele 0 vs Chuchekani 3

Bonwankwe 0 vs Mashamba 1

Rev MP Malatjie 3 vs Kgwatlhele 0

Chuchekani 2 vs Mashamba 1

Bonwankwe 0 vs Rev MP Malatjie 0 (Rev MP Malatjie won on penalties)

Mashamba 3 vs Kgwatlhele 0

Rev MP Malatjie 0 vs Chuchekani 0 (Rev MP Malatjie won on penalties)

Kgwatlhele 0 vs Bonwankwe 3

Final - Chuchekani 0 vs Rev MP Malatjie 0 (Rev MP Malatjie won on penalties)

Credo to represent Free State at the Danone Nations Cup National Finals

As Free State champions, Credo Primary School of Sasolburg will be travelling to Reiger Park on 28th June to play in the national finals of the under-12 Danone Nations Cup soccer tournament. The school represented the Fezile Dabi district at the Free State provincial finals at the Clive Solomon Stadium in Bloemfontein and beat Maqheleng Primary School 1-0 in the final to take the title for the first time.

And for the first time since the inception of the tournament in 2000 the coach and manager of the winning team is a female, Mrs Dikeledi Sothwane.  “This win has been long overdue.  After years of participating in this tournament, finally we have achieved our goal and from now on we are expecting only positive results,” she said.

Credo lost 2-0 to Maqheleng when the sides played each other in the league earlier in the day, but that loss didn’t faze the players but rather served as a motivation for when they met again in the final, said Sothwane.

Sothwane believes their win proves that hard work and believing in your dreams does pay off. “I am a proud coach,” she said. “What I introduced this year is daily meetings when I get to evaluate the team’s psychological state and see where their minds are. Coaching is not just about physical training and skills, it’s also about developing players mentally and psychologically which helps build confidence.  ” she said.

Credo’s preparation ahead of the provincial finals consisted of an intensive training programme - training five times a day and playing a friendly game against the school’s under-14 soccer team every Wednesday. “These friendly games improved their level of fitness, plus I wanted the kids to get used to playing against taller opponents,” Sothwane said. “And we will continue to train like this as we build up to the national finals.”

Sothwane identifies 11 year-old attacking midfielder, Itumleng Taute, as a key player in the team.

Itumeleng saw competing against other schools from different regions as a learning experience.  “I saw how other teams approach soccer and this will help me as I know that the level of competition at the national finals will be very different and we need to play even better that we did at the provincials.” 

Itumeleng also plays for a local team, Play United. “We train three times a week and I get the opportunity of being coached by another coach who also teaches me different skills. Both my coaches are important in my life and are helping me develop into a better player,” he said.

He knows that the eventual winners of the national title will be going to Brazil to play in the Danone Nations Cup World Finals. “Brazil has perhaps the highest standard of soccer in the world and has produced famous soccer players,” Itumeleng says. “I want to be there and see how they play soccer first hand.”

Results

Witsieshoek 0 (3) vs Bolokehang 0 (1)

Lestibolo 0 (6) vs Luckhoff 0 (5)

Maqheleng 2 vs Credo 0

Witsieshoek 1 vs Letsibolo 0

Bolokehang 0 (3) vs Luckhoff 0 (1)

Maqheleng 1 (1) vs Witsieshoek 1 (1) (2)

Credo 2 vs Letsibolo 1

Bolokehang 1 (2) vs Maqheleng 1 (1)

Luckhoff 1 (1) vs Witsieshoek 1 (2)

Credo 1 (2) vs Bolokehang 1 (3)

Letsibolo 1 vs Maqheleng 2

Credo 2 vs Luckhoff 1

Bolokehang 1 vs Letsibolo 0

Witsieshoek 0 (2) vs Credo 0 (0)

Luckhoff 0 (4) vs Maqheleng 0 (3)

Final Maqheleng 0 vs Credo 1

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Siphumelele Primary School from Pinetown wins Danone Nations Cup KZN Provincial Final

Under the watchful eye of ex Bafana Bafana captain and Kaizer Chiefs player, Neil Tovey, Siphumelele Primary School of Inanda won the KwaZulu-Natal provincial title in the under-12 Danone Nations Cup for the second consecutive year when they emerged as the top side out of the 12 district winners who competed at the Princess Magogo Stadium, KwaMashu on March 29.

Mr. Emmanuel Mkhize, the team's manager said Siphumelele went into the provincial finals with every intention of defending their title and, although they had to play against tough schools that also wanted to win, he says they maintained a positive spirit throughout and listened to their coach’s instructions.

"We won because we prepared the boys physically and mentally for tournaments like these," he said. "We started training early and got them used to playing against stronger teams so that when the finals came around they were ready and they have no fear of facing tough teams."

Mkhize cautioned, "We don’t want the boys to be over confident now as the national finals will be a new challenge.  We are competing with the best schools in every province; they fought hard to be where they are just like us, so all the teams that are in the national finals are competitive in their own right. We need to make sure that our boys’ performance levels remain high and that they have the stamina to compete against the other 9 top schools that will be there.  "

Mkhize said the highlight of the provincial finals was beating Ovukaneni Primary 4-0. "That was an achievement for us because that was the highest we have scored in a game this year,” he said. “Their team was challenging but we had that competitive edge and ended up winning that game.”

The goals scored at the provincial finals were shared out among the strikers, but two - Lesedi Hadebe and Lindelani Dlamini scored more than two each. “They really impressed me and I know that they will do much better in the national finals,” Mkhize said.

Neil Tovey was highly impressed with the skills of the youngsters.  “The one striker from Siphumelele was particularly good,” he said.  “That youngster has the skills to become a professional one day.  To achieve this, his coaching in high school will be critical as he needs to be guided to prevent bad habits creeping in.  Of course the best would be for him to join an academy, but there are limited academies in South Africa.”

The entire school is behind the team. “We were fortunate because we had supporters at the stadium. We had about 22 teachers from our school present as well as our principal Mr Phathokuhle Sam Ndaba. I think that having supporters in the stands really builds a team’s spirit on and off the field, so we are looking to having more supporters at the national finals in Gauteng,” said Mkhize.

RESULTS

Zithukise Primary 3 vs Maqumbi Primary 2

Siyephi Primary 0 vs Ithaka Primary 2

Indawana Primary 0 vs Machibini Primary 0 (Indawana won on penalties)

Ndongeni Primary 1 vs Siphumelele Primary        1 (Siphumelele won on penalties)

Maqumbi Primary 1 vs Mthethomusha Primary 0

Ithaka Primary 2 vs Sinaye Primary 0

Machibini Primary 0 vs Watersmeet Primary 0 (Machibini won on penalties)

Siphumelele Primary 4 vs Ovukaneni Primary 0

Mthethomusha Primary 2 vs Zithukise Primary 1

Sinaye Primary 5 vs Siyephi Primary 1

Watersmeet Primary 2 vs Indawana Primary 1

Ovukaneni Primary1 vs Ndongeni Primary 2

Semifinal 1 - Zithukise Primary 0 vs Siphumelele Primary 1

Semifinal 2 - Watersmeet Primary 1 vs Ithaka Primary 0

Final - Siphumelele Primary 1 Watersmeet Primary 1 (Siphumelele won on penalties).

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KZN schools compete in the Danone Nations Cup for a chance to play football in Brazil

Twelve schools will be contesting the under-12 Danone Nations Cup KwaZulu-Natal provincial finals on 29^th March, at the Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu, KZN. The winning school will progress through to the national finals, with the ultimate winner going on to represent South Africa at the Danone Nations Cup world football finals in Brazil later this year.

 Emmanuel Mkhize, team manager of Siphumelele Primary School in Pinetown is happy his school has once again qualified for the provincial finals. Last year they went all the way to the national finals and they are hoping to do so again, and possibly win the national title this time.  With the support of the teachers, who ensure the players are at practice on time, this could well become a reality

“The team is looking good; they play very well as a united front. I have been watching them closely during games and I can safely say that the team is looking much better and stronger than last year’s team.  However, we just need to tighten up our defence,” he said.

Siphumelele will be fielding a totally new team this year, made up of players who also play for local clubs. “I asked the club coaches to help me select the top players,” Mkhize said. “They made good selections, which is one of the reasons why the school has won all games they have played in the tournament so far this year.”

Another advantage this year, Mkhize believes, is the fact that there is a new coach, Mr SC Ndwandwe. “He has brought a different style of coaching to the team. He allows the boys to express themselves.”

According to Mkhize, he is expecting tough competition at the provincial finals where the number one school from the respective regions will be competing. “We have been preparing the boys physically and psychologically. They are fit enough to compete at the next stage and have a better understanding the game,” he said.

If Mkhize were to single out a key player in the team it has to be the goalkeeper, Siyabonga Mkhize. “He has been excellent in all our games, he made the most impressive saves and I believe he is the next Itumeleng Khune.”

As for preparation for the provincial finals, Mkhize said they are continuing doing what they have been doing as there’s no point in changing a winning formula. “We do need to tighten up our defence, though.”

One of the schools up against Siphumelele at the provincial finals will be first time provincial final contenders, Siyenzele Primary School. Their team manager and coach Lindelani Sibiya said the team is motivated and excited to have reached this level of the competition. “Last year we were knocked out in the cluster level,” he said.

The most challenging part about coaching at this level, according to Sibiya, is the fact that you are dealing with different personalities, and even though they are still at a tender age there are still individual personalities that often clash. “As a coach I need to find a balance and be able to accommodate everyone in the team,” Sibiya said. “It’s difficult but doable, when you have the love and passion for soccer that I do.”

Sibiya has a completely new team this year, and even though they have the same coach, they take instructions differently. “What I have noticed with my team is that they take too long to enforce action in a game. There’s no fire during the first half, they bring it on in second half, that needs to be rectified,” Sibiya said. “They need to be fired up as the game starts and score goals to take the pressure off and defend in the second half.

Games begin at 11am on Saturday, 29 March with the final kicking off at 2.30.

Competing teams:

District	School
Amajuba	Zithuthukise Primary
Ilembe	Maqumbi Primary
Umgungundlovu	Mthethomusha Primary
Sisonke	Indawana Primary
Umkhanyakude	Machibini Primary
Uthukela	Watersmeet Primary
Ugu	Nkosiyethu Primary
Umzinyathi	Ithaka Primary
Empangeni	Sinaye Primary
Umlazi	Ndongeni Primary
Pinetown	Siphumelele Primary
Vryheid/Zululand	Siyazenzela Primary

Nikon partners with Danone and Mille in the Danone Nations Cup South Africa

Danone Southern Africa is proud to announce that Nikon in South Africa, a world leader in photo imaging technology, will be supporting the Danone Nations Cup, the largest youth football tournament for players between the ages of 10 and 12 in the world.  The tournament has been organised by Danone since 2000 and involves 2.5 million youngsters each year from all corners of the world. 

Run under the auspices of the South African Schools Football Association (SASFA), the South Africa leg of the Danone Nations Cup includes over 2 500 schools from all corners of South Africa and Nikon will support the photography, or ‘taking stories’, around games in from the Provincial finals and the National Finals happening at Reiger Park, Boksburg on the 28 June. 

Over and above taking photographs at games, Danone and Nikon will be campaigning to find a Kids Reporter who will accompany the South African team to Brazil for the World Finals later in the year.  This youngster, who will be between the age of 10 and 12, will go armed with a Nikon Coolpix L820 to take pictures for publication. 

Marli van Schalkwyk, Head of Marketing for Nikon in South Africa said:  “Globally Nikon supports all sports as a picture tells a thousand words.  Further we have been looking for a partner involved in youth football and the Danone Nations Cup was an ideal choice.  Both companies share similar values and similar ways of working and the partnership is a win-win situation.  We will be sending a Nikon photographer to all nine provincial finals to capture the moments that these youngsters will want to cherish forever and we will be supplying pictures for the media.  We will then play a much bigger role in the National Finals.” 

Danone and Nikon will be running media competitions where fans can win one of 20 cameras on offer.  The public is encouraged to watch the press and facebook for details.”

Danone are delighted with the new partnership:  “The Danone Nations Cup is 14 years old this year and it has gained credibility and legitimacy in the international world of football and has FIFA’s stamp of approval and to have Nikon in South Africa on board puts the tournament on a different level,” said Chantel Ehlers, Sponsorship Manager of Danone South Africa.