Western Cape under-12 school team will be heading for Spain to compete in the Danone Nations Cup world finals

Team work, taking advice, confidence and emotional intelligence is what helped the young under-12 team from Cape Town’s Nomlinganiselo Primary school win the Danone Nations Cup national finals in Gauteng this weekend, said coach Ntokozo Mazwi.  The youngsters will now take on other nations in the world finals in Spain in 2019.

The national finals took place in Gauteng on the weekend with Nomlinganiselo drawn in Group 2 with Shapeve (MP), Tshediso-Xolani (FS) and Laerskool Rustenburg Noord (NWP).  They finished top of the log after beating all three schools 1 – 0 to reach the final where they played Charles Morgan Primary School from the Eastern Cape, who topped Group 1.

The final match was tough, said a tired, but excited Mazwi.  “The game was evenly matched and both of us had our chances, but we failed to convert.  At the end of regulation time the game was deadlocked leaving it to penalties to decide who would be going to Spain.  I knew then that we had the game in the bag as I had a gut feeling that I needed to prepare my goalkeeper for this exact situation.”

In the end Nomlinganiselo won 4-3 on penalties.  “I am extremely proud of my boys,” said the coach.  “When one considers that our school has poor soccer facilities and we have limited equipment for training yet we still managed to beat schools that have much more than us.  It is testament to how determined and courageous the team was.  Charles Morgan has competed in two other national finals and went into the game as the more experienced school.”

The team will now start planning for Spain.  “I learnt so much in Gauteng.  Every team had their strengths in terms of tactics and technical skills that I will implement back home in Cape Town. However, I will keep to my primary focus, which is to prepare the boys emotionally for the experience.  I will teach them all about Barcelona, the countries we will be playing against, while continuing to build their confidence.  Preparations will consist of classroom activities as well as on field training and plenty of practise matches.  We are going to look for support from the local structures to find better training facilities to get the boys used to playing on excellent surfaces.”

The coach is planning on obtain his SAFA Level 1 coaching certificate in March 2019.  “I believe the Level 1 certificate focuses on coaching kids, which will help me prepare them better.  Currently I have no coaching experience and teach according to what I know, which might not necessarily be the best practise.’

Premier Soccer League scouts also attended the national finals to look for talented youngsters to boost their development structures.  “The Danone Nations Cup national finals were a dream come true for every player on the pitch,” said Mandla Mazibuko from Mamelodi Sundowns. “We have watched the teams perform at the provincial finals and it was important to have another look at them at the nationals to see how they perform under pressure.  The scouts are looking for individual players at these events, but it is interesting to see how the different teams play as a collective unit.  I was particularly impressed at the formations used in the final match.  At this age, while it is important to just let the boys have fun and play the game, it is also important to start teaching them different tactics and how to move the ball around the field effectively.  Coaching is extremely important at this age as the boys must start learning about build up and positioning as this is how you score goals.”

Manager of Charles Morgan, Lizo Wellie, was disappointed at losing in the final, but admitted he was not prepared for a penalty shoot-out.  “Losing on penalties was disappointing and I did not prepare the boys fore this, but that is the game of soccer.”

Playing against Benny’s Sports Academy from Limpopo was their toughest opponent admitted Wellie.  “Benny’s has an excellent reputation and my boys were a little intimidated when they went into the game.  Despite our opponent’s excellent tactics, we still managed to beat them 2 – 1 which was a massive confidence boost for the players.  We won three games and drew 0-0 against Lutzburg from the Northern Cape which put us as log leaders and into the final match. It is a pity we didn’t win but there is always next year.”

The national final experience was special for the youngsters, admitted Wellie. “Seeing Johannesburg for the first time was exciting for the boys.  They stayed in a hotel with all the other provinces and made plenty of friends.  At the stadium there were activations such as dribbling skills tests and target practise which the boys really enjoyed.  It was a dream come true for all of us and next year we will be back in action with a new team and new experiences. I am looking forward to it.”

RESULTS: 

POOL A                                                                                            POOL B

Benny’s Sports Academy and Development (LP)                        Shapeve Primary School (MP)

Zamukhanya Primary School (GP)                                                Nomlinganiselo Primary School (WC)

Charles Morgan Public Primary School (EC)                                Tshediso-Xolani Primary School (FSP)

Muzuvukile Primary School (KZN)                                                Laerskool Rustenburg Noord (NW)

Lutsburg Intermediate School (NC)

1. Benny’s SDA 3   vs  1  Zamukhanya PS
2. Shapeve PS  0  vs   1  Nomlinganiselo PS
3. Charles Morgan  2 0 PS  vs  Muzuvukile PS
4. Tshediso-Xolani PS  1 vs 0  Laerskool Rustenburg Noord
5. Lutzburg IS 0  vs  2 Benny’s SDA
6. Zam’ukhanya 1 PS  vs  1 Muzuvukile PS
7. Nomlinganiselo PS 1 vs 0  Laerskool Rustenburg Noord
8. Charles Morgan  PS  0 vs 0  Lutzburg IS
9. Muzuvukile PS 2 vs  1 Benny’s Sports DA
10.   Laerskool Rustenburg Noord  0 vs 4 Shapeve PS
11. Zamukhanya PS  1 vs 2 Charles Morgan PS
12. Nomlinganiselo PS 1 vs 0  Tshediso-Xolani PS
13. Muzuvukile PS 0 vs  0 Lutzburg IS
14. Benny’s Sports DA 1 vs 2 Charles Morgan PS
15. Shapeve PS  1 vs 0 Tshediso-Xolani PS
16. Lutzburg IS  0 vs  0 Zamukhanya PS
17. FINAL:  Charles Morgan PS 0 (3) vs 0 (4)  Nomlingaliselo PS 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Danone Southern Africa and the South African Schools Football Association (SASFA) announce Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto as the host of the 2018 under-12 Danone Nations Cup national soccer finals

On the 15^th September the national finals of the under-12 Danone Nations Cup soccer tournament will take place in Gauteng, the site of the Danone’s head office and factory, with Soweto’s Dobsonville Stadium as the host venue.

Eight of the nine provincial winning schools have been identified with Gauteng being the final province to host their finals taking place on the 25^th August.

Chantel Ehlers, Danone Internal Communications Manager explained that the nationals have been at Reiger Park for a number of years now, and they felt it was time to make a change.  “Reiger Park has been the national final venue for the past 4 years and we felt it was time to take our finals to Soweto, the biggest township in Southern Africa.”

Danone’s mission is to encourage the youth to believe in their dreams and to encourage the development of healthy eating habits.  “It is a privilege for Danone to be involved with this event,” said Ehlers.  “And we are spreading our message of health through food to as many people as possible through this event.  We want to positively impact the health of South Africans through diet and exercise and this year we will be doing that to as many Sowetans as possible.”

Every year Danone invites their staff from the factory and head office to the event to be part of all the activities and give them the opportunity to see the enormous talent in South Africa at the under-12 level.

There is a festive atmosphere at the event. In addition to the soccer, there are fun activities on the adjacent fields including soccer games, kid’s games, face painting, jumping castles and many more and all this for free as there is no entry charge.

All of Danone’s brands are derived from dairy products, which are a good source of calcium, protein and various vitamins and minerals which lead to good health, Ehlers explains. “Our brands all come on board for national finals day and, for example, NutriDay runs a fun game targeting the youth that teaches them about food categories and how to blend foods to better your health.”

The school that wins the national title will represent SA at the world finals to take place in Spain in 2019.

The schools that have qualified so far are:

NORTHERN CAPE	Lutzburg Intermediate School
FREE STATE	Tshediso Xolani Primary School
LIMPOPO	Benny's Sports Academy & Development
MPUMANLANGA	Shapeve Primary School
NORTH WEST	Laerskool Rustenburg Noord
KZN	Muzuvukile Primary School
EASTERN CAPE	Charles Morgan Primary School
WESTERN CAPE	Nomlinganiselo Primary School
GAUTENG