After more than a year of being
restricted from playing their favourite sport, youngsters in parts of North
West finally got a chance to lace up their boots, don their red and white
colours and grab a bat and ball for the KFC Mini-Cricket Activation Programme
in Kanana, Klerksdorp, and Jouberton this week.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) in
partnership with KFC hosted four thrilling mini-festivals at various schools
featuring CSA mascot, ZAC and provincial ambassadors between 25-26 May,
beginning with Inyathelo Primary in Kanana on Tuesday, before moving to Akofang
Primary in Jouberton later on the day.
On Wednesday, the fun returned to
Jouberton, with Itirele Primary School taking centre stage during the morning
session before the final stop in Klerksdorp, where the KFC Mini-Cricket team at
Educator’s Primary School rounded off the two-day spectacle.
These KFC Mini-Cricket Activation
Programme form part of a 2020/21 KFC Mini-Cricket season relaunch undertaken by
CSA to help provide an enjoyable but more importantly, safe environment for the
kids to get active after a prolonged absence caused by the ongoing COVID-19
outbreak.
Ahead of the resumption, to ensure
the players, coaches and teachers’ safety, KFC Mini-Cricket identified
non-hotspot regions across the country where non-contact school sport can take
place.
They have also procured Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) and sanitisers for all participating schools,
provided extra playing equipment to limit sharing between players, as well as
arrange a Safety Officer to help facilitate the COVID-19 protocols for each
school.
CSA’s Mass Participation
Coordinator, Buhle Motshegoa is pleased with how the North West-leg of the KFC
Mini-Cricket Regional Festivals went, highlighting the visible passion for the
game as well as the bright talent on show in the province. A province that
produced the likes of Momentum Proteas star, Lizelle Lee, Proteas all-rounder,
Dwaine Pretorius and Central Gauteng Lions player, Jonty Rapulana.
“We are happy that the 2020/21 KFC
Mini-Cricket season was able to get underway in the form of the Activation
Programmes and that once again we get to see our mini cricketers and coaches
play with smiles on their faces,” Motshegoa commented.
“As soon as we set foot in Kanana,
you could sense the excitement in the air, and passion for the game of cricket
from all those involved in making the two-day cricketing spectacle a resounding
success, while we strictly adhered to the COVID-19 health regulations.
“Although getting kids active in a
fun and enjoyable way is the main goal, we also got to witness some sensational
talent on the field, between both the boys and girls. This bodes well, not only
for the growth of the KFC Mini-Cricket programme but also for the South African
cricket pipeline,” she added.
About KFC Mini-Cricket:
KFC
Mini-Cricket provides a platform for kids in South Africa to have fun and get
active. KFC Mini-Cricket is the largest grassroots development sports programme
in South Africa and is also an essential building block for learning cricketing
basics and entrenching a love for the game.
As
of the 2019/2020 season, there are 126 642 kids from 6617 schools active in the
KFC Mini-Cricket programme who are coached by 13 673 volunteer coaches. KFC has
sponsored KFC Mini-Cricket since 2010 and in the 2012/13 cricket season KFC
became the title sponsor of the KFC T20 Internationals.
For
more information, please visit https://order.kfc.co.za/minicricket/minicrickethome.
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