KFC MINI-CRICKET NATIONAL SEMINAR IS BACK FOR THE 2021/22 SEASON

 

Cricket South Africa (CSA) and KFC will be celebrating the country’s largest development programme, KFC Mini-Cricket at this season’s edition of the KFC Mini-Cricket national seminar.  

Over 80 KFC Mini-Cricket volunteer coaches and coordinators will be making their way to the annual National Seminar held in Limpopo from the 3rd and 6th October 2021.

KFC Mini-Cricket national seminar makes its return after a year-long halt due to the Covid19 pandemic. The annual seminar aims to not only empower and educate coaches but also to honour their contribution in their respective communities.

“The Mini-Cricket programme has over the year been a launch-pad for buddying cricket talent in the country. It is responsible for producing some of the cricket household names that continue to do us proud. This seminar sets to tone for more development work, which is in line with CSA’s mission”

 

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has affected many industries and posed the same challenges for the KFC Mini-Cricket. This season’s theme is “Umvuselelo” a Nguni word meaning to reawaken and will see games being played on a more regular and consistent basis once again. With kids returning to play across the country, there is great excitement to have all children play the game they love.

 “On behalf of Cricket South Africa, I would like to sincerely thank KFC for this partnership that has delivered a lot of value to cricket and facilitated the reach of the sport of cricket, especially to areas that really require grassroots support. I would also like to thank the coaches and the coordinators who continue to put it all together year-in and year-out, including everyone else who is involved in making this a viable vehicle for nurturing cricket talent at school and community levels.  This partnership has allowed all of us to collectively support this noble endeavour of expanding cricket’s reach,” said Mr Pholetsi Moseki, CSA’s Acting Chief Executive Officer.

 

Since inception, the programme has seen more than 2,5 million kids participating in the KFC Mini-Cricket programme and continues to be a driving force for strong national teams. As KFC and CSA cement 12 years of partnership, the programme has experienced exponential growth with the number of kids taking part increasing from around 89 000 per season to over 126 000.

 

KFC CSI Manager, Andra Ferreira Nel, elaborates on the exciting expectations of the country’s pre-eminent grassroots sporting development programme.

 

 “As a brand we take the theme of ‘umvuselelo’ to heart. This is a time for reconnection, rebuilding and coming together as a nation under the incredible KFC Mini-Cricket programme.

 

The grassroot programme has stood tall against some of our recent societal challenges. We thank our committed partners, CSA, and the respective KFC Mini-Cricket programme structures for their unwavering support to ensure that kids in all communities are introduced to the beautiful game of cricket. We look forward to the KFC Mini-Cricket season ahead and we will work together to ensure a bright foundation is laid for our future heroes,” said Andra Ferreira Nel, KFC CSI Manager, KFC South Africa.

 

“This year’s KFC Mini-Cricket national seminar also comes at a time when KFC, South Africa’s most loved brand, is celebrating 50 years of sharing its famous Original Recipe with South Africa. The KFC Mini-Cricket coaches and coordinators are the unsung heroes in the programme and are part of the reason the programme is a success. We want to make sure that those unsung heroes in KFC Mini-Cricket are part of the celebrations,” adds Nel.

 

The KFC Mini-Cricket programme continues to be of the most impactful development programmes in the South African sporting landscape and goes far beyond the game of cricket. The sport brings youngsters from across diverse backgrounds together and not only introduces them to the game of cricket but also allows them to get active.

 

For more information on the KFC Mini-Cricket programme visit https://order.kfc.co.za/minicricket/minicrickethome or contact CSA at (011) 880 – 2810.

 

 

CGL Head Coach Wandile Gwavu inspiring coaches at the Gauteng KFC Mini-Cricket Provincial Seminar

 

Imperial Lions coach Wandile Gwavu knows all about the importance of KFC Mini-Cricket.

He started his cricket career as a Mini-Cricket player and has gone through the ranks as a junior coach, a Gauteng U19 coach for successful team in the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola weeks. Now he has progressed all the way to coaching a very powerful Central Gauteng Lions squad.

He speaks to the coaches about his journey and he encourages the coaches by telling them that the sky is the limit.

Wandile has been in their position and through education, hard work and dedication he has reached his current position for the Central Gauteng Lions.

He knows that without the many coaches in the KFC Mini-Cricket program he will not have all the players that he currently has. Even his new crop of players like SA U19 captain Bryce Parsons started playing cricket through KFC Mini-Cricket.

Wandile gives the coaches some basic advice to motivate them to continue to coach the kids and to continue with their programs. He also tells them that they need to look at the cricketer as an individual and grow the individual and not just focus on the sport.

Following a long hiatus brought about by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, KFC and Cricket South Africa (CSA) are getting ready to launch the new cricket season by hosting virtual KFC Mini-Cricket Provincial Seminars throughout the month of October, across the 16 Provincial Unions.

The annual KFC Mini-Cricket Provincial Seminars are an important part of planning for the season ahead and the virtual environment will lay the foundation for the return of play once government gives the go ahead, hopefully early in the new year.

CSA’s Mass Participation Coordinator, Buhle Motshegoa, speaks about what Cricket South Africa's plans are for the new season. She sets the standard that is expected from all of the regions and from the nation as a whole.

Cricket South Africa would like the country to play 80 000 matches from when school starts in January until the easter Holidays in April. On the 20th February KFC and Cricket South Africa would like over 5000 matches to be played over the country.

It is time for the kids to get active again.

KFC CSI Manager, Andra Ferreira Nel, congratulated the unsung heroes of the program, that is the coaches, for the amazing work that they have done in the past seasons and asks them to send through their human interest stories so that the nation can see what they do to help kids all over the country.

The KFC Mini-Cricket programme introduces children to the game and is one of South Africa’s biggest grassroot sports development programmes. It is critical foundation stage in the development of South Africa’s future cricketing heroes and is the first phase in CSA’s ‘pipeline to the Proteas’.

Links to find out more about the KFC Mini-Cricket Program

www.kfc.co.za

www.cricket.co.za

 

CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF MINI-CRICKET

Cricket South Africa (CSA) celebrates 35 years of one of the country’s most famous and prestigious sporting development programmes in the 2017/18 season - Mini-Cricket.

An estimated 180 delegates have assembled at the Champagne Sport Resort in the Central Drakensberg for the annual KFC Mini-Cricket national seminar from 3-5 July 2017 ahead of the celebratory season.

                       

KFC has been the driver of the initiative for the past seven years after taking over from biscuit brand, Bakers.

“This year will be another year to rejoice as we look forward to the seventh year of a distinguished partnership with KFC,” CSA chief executive officer Haroon Lorgat said.

“Looking back at what has been achieved over the past seven years is outstanding when one looks at the stunning growth figures.

“A 42 percent rise in the number of children participating, a 56 percent rise in the number of volunteer coaches and, importantly, a 74 percent growth in the number of schools involved makes us very proud indeed.

“It is also worth celebrating that 12 of the 15 members of our ICC U/19 World Cup winning team in 2014 came through this programme.”

Launched during the 1982-83 cricket season to encourage the growth and development of cricket amongst boys and girls, Mini-Cricket has grown in leaps and bounds over the years giving children from all walks of life the opportunity of being exposed to the game.

Over 2.5 million kids have participated in this programme, which has been instrumental in producing players for the various national teams – South Africa U/19, Momentum Proteas, South Africa ‘A’ and the Standard Bank Proteas.

“I really feel that the KFC Mini-Cricket programme is one of the best and most heart-warming projects that can be seen anywhere in the world,” Lorgat added. “It shows in the growth and in the opportunities provided to young children who take part as ball boys or girls when their Protea heroes are playing, or as participants at the coin toss of the KFC T20 International matches or the CSA T20 Challenge matches.”

“KFC is immensely proud of its contribution to the KFC Mini-Cricket programme and of the positive impact it is having on countless people all over South Africa. With the help of our valued partners, Cricket South Africa, the coaches and coordinators, the programme will continue to thrive, uplift people and communities. The KFC Mini-Cricket National Seminar is a great platform for us celebrate the coaches who are the heart of KFC Mini-Cricket,” said KFC Public Affairs Director, Thabisa Mkhwanazi.

“The 2016/17 season proved to be the biggest and was jam packed full of action with almost 120 000 kids getting active,” adds Mkhwanazi.

The seminar features KFC Mini Cricket Coaches from all of CSA’s members around the country.

Delegates attending this year’s seminar will once again be exposed to variety of topics and key learnings which they can take back to their regions to share with fellow coaches to ensure the program improves each year and delivers on the objectives.