During the KFC T20 International
Series against Zimbabwe, KFC gave the KFC Mini-Cricket kids an opportunity to
join their Protea heroes on their official tour.
The winning schools, Nomandi Junior
Secondary School of Port St Johns, Paarl’s Amstelhof Primary School and Bayview
Primary School from Port Elizabeth had a once in a lifetime experience to join
their heroes and have a sneak preview of what happens behind in the scenes on
an official Proteas tour.
The Tour officially began in
preparation for the first KFC T20 International game in East London, where
Nomandi Junior Secondary School’s KFC Mini-Cricket team received a warm welcome
from their heroes. The kids also took up the opportunity to get active in an
intense Proteas fitness session ahead of the game. The kids received insights
to what it takes to be a national hero and the hard work one needs to put in to
be a great sportsman.
In addition to the KFC Mini-Cricket
kids from Bayview Primary School rubbing shoulders with JP Duminy, Tabraiz
Shamsi and Lungi Ngidi. The kids went behind the scenes to see the Proteas
locker rooms where they got a real feel of how the teams prepare themselves for
all games.
Another intimate session was led by
wicketkeeper, Heinrich Klaasen who was welcomed by a chant from the kids titled
“Klaasen jou lekker ding”. The learners were overwhelmed at first but warmed up
to him as he sat with them in the grand stands. This meant so much for the
learners of Amstelhof Primary as this was the first time to see a Protea in
their midst, let alone the whole team.
To close off the Tour, the KFC
Mini-Cricket kids from Bayview Primary School flew to Johannesburg where they
had a surprise room drop by Proteas-Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson and Andile
Phehlukwayo. The ecstatic kids were also spoilt with a personalised signing
session with their Protea Heroes.
Taki Simeli, External Communication
Specialist at KFC, believed the tour was success. “We believe the KFC
Mini-Cricket Kids Join the Proteas on Tour competition really exceeded our
wildest expectations. The once-in-a-lifetime experience gave the kids an
opportunity to ignite the passion they have for their favourite sport and we
hope the fire will continue to burn whilst getting active.”
Simeli continues, “At KFC we are
always looking for opportunities to further enhance our KFC Mini-Cricket
programme. Our sponsorship of the KFC T20 International Series is a way to
profile the programme and bring the kids close to their cricketing heroes,
making them part of the game, inspiring the kids and reigniting their passion
for cricket.”
Proteas bowler, Junior Dala, who
participated in the fitness assessment with the KFC Mini-Cricket kids shared
how he knew the importance of being a role model and on working towards his
goals. “We showed them there is more to being a Protea than just playing on the
field. The kids learned that there is a number of activities that take place
behind the scenes. The biggest thing for them to learn is that they need to
keep up their enthusiasm and work hard to achieve their goals.”
The two- day experience included a
live experience at a KFC T20 International match. Each match day experience
included the KFC Mini-Cricket kids taking part in the guard of honour,
officiating at the coin toss, participating as ball boys and girls during the
games and taking part in the prize giving ceremonies after the matches.
Proteas legend, Robin Peterson joined
the kids on tour and also landed a hand in gearing up tomorrow’s cricketing
heroes. “I remember going to the nets in Port Elizabeth when I was young to get
signatures and see how my heroes played. The KFC Mini-Cricket initiative is an
exceptional way to build even more love for the game and build true sportsman
and women on and off the field. I hope the KFC Mini-Cricket Kids will never
forget this experience.” he said.
The
KFC Mini-Cricket programme continues to be the largest national grassroots
development programme in South Africa and offers kids critical building blocks
for learning cricketing basics and entrenching a love for the game.
The three winning teams all took part
in KFC Mini-Cricket Kids Join the Proteas on Tour competition all entered the
national KFC Mini-Cricket Kids Join the Proteas on Tour competition by simply
dialling *120*7535# or visited kfc.co.za/minicricket.
