Women in Sport - ICC 100% Future Leaders Programme

 

Women from all over the world are getting the opportunity to take up leadership roles in various sports including cricket. The ICC has announced it's mentorship program for women and we got the opportunity to talk to two of the women that have been selected from 300 applicants to take part in the program.

40 women from 29 ICC Member countries have been selected to be mentored as part of the ICC 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme designed to support emerging female talent in cricket. The programme, which is part of the ICC’s long-term commitment to accelerate the growth of women’s cricket and women in cricket, received an overwhelming response of more than 300 applicants from 45 different countries.

The initial intake will be split into two batches and the programme, which designed to address the low percentage of women in leadership positions in global cricket and build a pipeline of new female leaders in cricket will get underway with batch one beginning this month.

About 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme
The application is open for all female future leaders of Cricket to apply and will be matched with a mentor to support their development growth.
The role of a mentor is to unlock their mentee’s potential and help them to be at their best. This could include being a confidential sounding-board, providing advice, guidance, and connections to reach their potential.

The philosophy of the 100% Cricket - Future Leaders Programme is to be participant lead, with the ICC acting in support to match the mentees with suitable mentors and provide guidelines and evaluation frameworks for the participants and opportunities to network and interact.

The programme will last for a period of 6 months, and include a kick-off workshop with Belinda Clark, followed by monthly check-ins and a 3-month review with the mentees and mentors agreeing the frequency and method of communication.

SELECTION PROCESS
All mentee applications were reviewed by a selection panel consisting of the ICC General Manager – Marketing and Communications – Claire Furlong, Mentor Guide and former Australia Captain Belinda Clark AO, ICC General Manager Development, Will Glenwright, and Competition Manager – Cricket, Birmingham 2022 – Commonwealth Games Holly Colvin.

 

Q&A with the Locker Room - Integrating the art and science of coaching

 

Integrating the art and science of coaching in a person-centred environment ensuring coaching effectiveness and healthy, injury-free athletes.

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Dr Mary Ann Dove, Dr Janine Gray and Andrew Gray have launched their new company ‘The Locker Room’ with the aim to expose coaches to some of the latest thinking in coaching best practice and translating scientific research into practical solutions. The team of experts will provide coaches with tools to develop players as both people and athletes while encouraging participation, performance and personal development. They will enhance the coaches’ professional and interpersonal knowledge to achieve athlete outcomes in different coaching contexts. Their aim is to inform the coaches’ responsibility and understanding of injury prevention and management to reduce the attrition rate, improve performance, and contribute to the long-term physical and mental well-being of the athlete. They will introduce the science of coaching, and identify practices that have been shown to improve performance and a players’ technical ability. Contact them at https://www.thelockerroom.org.za/

Making Coaches and Athletes Better - Andrew Gray

 Integrating the art and science of coaching in a person-centred environment ensuring coaching effectiveness and healthy, injury-free athletes.

If you want to listen to our webinars live register here

Andrew Gray talks about the holistic approach to coaching and latest trends in high performance coaching.

How do you prevent injuries for sport performance - Dr Janine Gray

 

Integrating the art and science of coaching in a person-centred environment ensuring coaching effectiveness and healthy, injury-free athletes.

If you want to listen to our webinars live register here

Janine talks about injury trends and how to prevent these injuries

Coaching with Emotional Intelligence - Dr Mary Ann Dove

 

Integrating the art and science of coaching in a person-centred environment ensuring coaching effectiveness and healthy, injury-free athletes.

If you want to listen to our webinars live register here Dr Mary Ann Dove, Dr Janine Gray and Andrew Gray have launched their new company ‘The Locker Room’ with the aim to expose coaches to some of the latest thinking in coaching best practice and translating scientific research into practical solutions.

Organised school sport for children and adolescents COVID 19 and beyond

 

How do you get back to school sport in a safe way? What does school sport look like after the Corona Virus? What criteria do you need to follow to run school sport in a safe way? What does the future of school sport look like? Professor's Candice Christie (University of Rhodes), policy brief lead, and Professor Rowena Naidoo (University of KZN) led a team of professors, scientists and sporting personalities from most of the universities in South Africa together with other a couple of universities from other countries in Africa and sporting research agencies came up with a brief to assist schools with the best practice guidelines to return sport to schools. “Sport has the power to change the world” – Nelson Mandela. Regular participation in exercise, sport and physical activity offers many proven benefits for children and adolescents. Beyond just the obvious physical advantages, physical activity plays an important role in promoting mental health and well-being and social development in children. Schools provide many opportunities for physical activity, in the form of structured and unstructured play, as physical education within the formal academic curriculum or through informal and formal organised sport, including competitive intra- or inter-school activity. This policy brief focuses on formal organised sport in schools and provides guidelines on how to manage school sport during a pandemic. It is premised on the fact that sports participation is important for both the physical and mental well-being of children, as a platform for safe and enjoyable physical activity, and a foundation for acquiring life skills and promoting social interaction. This brief draws on the principles and benefits of physical activity articulated by complimentary policy briefs in this series and from other literature. It is the outcome of a collective effort of experts concerned about the current and future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents who engage in organised sports in school. As many types of organised sport involves close physical contact, it is designed to provide guidance to all those engaged in organised sport in schools; participating learners, educators, coaches, parents/caregivers, spectators and the communities, on how to practice the best possible safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. This policy brief is best used alongside safety guidelines developed by Health Departments of national, regional and local governments and international health guidelines, as set out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) pandemic response team. Further, this document augments existing school organised sport policies, but can also serve as a stand-alone guide.

Dealing with Mental Health with Sports Psychologist Eugene Oppelt

 Are mental health issues only for high performers or does everyone suffer from mental health issues?

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How can you use sport to assist kids with mental health issues? Are you and your team able to deal with the pressures on the field? What is Mental Health? Do only to athletes face the pressures on the field? Has the lockdowns had an affect on athletes and coaches? How do you deal with various issues on the field of play? Mental Heath has been in the news quite often in decent times with international sports stars coming out and talking about what they have gone through and how they dealt with it. When Marcus Trescothick spoke about his difficulties in 2006 which led him to withdraw himself from the English cricket team and eventually retire from international cricket, mental health was still considered something that you don’t talk about. This is stigma still persists but it is finally breaking loosing its stigma as a taboo subject. According to the U.K. Surgeon Journal (1999), mental health is the successful performance of mental function resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships, being able to adapt to change and cope with adversities. These are things that we all deal with on a daily basis and no one is immune. So how do we deal with it? How can we turn certain situations into a positive and get results from them? How do we help ourselves, other coaches and our athletes? Eugene Oppelt is a Consulting Psychologist that works with elite athletes and teams across South Africa, including the Stellenbosch University’s Maties Sport High Performance programme. He dealt with questions around mental health, creating a high performance environment, working with all kids and not just top athletes and finally the effect of the coronavirus on kids and their return to school and playing sport. Sport is not only a place where kids have mental health issues, it is also a place where mental health issues are dealt with and there are programs in place to assist kids with dealing with life’s problems.

How do you create a sports academy? - African Cup of Nation Winner Neil Tovey

 

South African Football Legend and African Cup of Nation Winner - Neil Tovey  Talks about how he created an academy in South Africa in the 90s that produces players like Steven Pienaar who played for  Ajax Cape Town, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland. Steven is now an international ambassador for Everton.  He covers aspects like the definition of an academy, child safety act, basic requirements to start an academy, equipment, communication, scouting, Agents, education, etc...

IWC chats to Neil Tovey about Setting up an Academy

 

South African sporting icon, Neil Tovey will be the latest guest in the next Intune With Coaching live webinar series edition, aimed at providing functional insight on what goes into setting up a sports academy, coaching clinic, and programme, with the focus primarily on football.

The hugely anticipated webinar will take place on Thursday, 01 April at 6 PM LIVE on Zoom Teams. Register HERE and get exclusive access to one of the country’s finest football administrative minds…for FREE.

This episode follows an interview with the Department of Basic Education’s Bongani Zondi around the regulations for the resumption of school sports, and the presentation given by Intune Communication and Entertainment Founder, Kassey Belluigi regarding the importance of building a brand as a coach.

Tovey, an ex-Bafana Bafana captain, led the nation to our only Africa Cup of Nations trophy which culminated with the famous two-nil triumph in the final against Tunisia in 1996, with former president Nelson Mandela working his Madiba magic at the stadium and across the nation.

Following an illustrious career that spanned nearly 20 years, where he represented Durban City, AmaZulu and Kaizer Chiefs for a combined 632 times while notching up 52 caps for the national team, the former central defender also took up coaching. He completed his UEFA A licence with a record 90% pass rate on his way to coaching in and winning the Rothmans Cup, Telkom Charity Cup, and the COSAFA Cup with Banyana Banyana.

Long before serving as the SAFA Technical Director between 2015-2020, Tovey also played an integral part in the forming of the Transnet School of Excellence in 1994, an academy that has since produced elite international and local stars such as Steven Pienaar and Bernard parker.

 During the QnA with host and Intune Communications and Entertainment Director, Shawn Belluigi, Tovey will be discussing the tools one needs to get an academy or clinic off the ground.

 This will include the approvals and policies required; the inclusion of education; scouting and recruitment; standard of coaching; coaching programmes; sponsorship; the possible challenges, including the impact of COVID-19, and much more.

 There will also be time set aside for the audience to pose their questions to Mr Tovey, to provide full value to the coaches and administrators.

 Ahead of the webinar, Belluigi confirmed the idea behind bringing in the stalwart and the choice of the topic: “The restrictions that were imposed due to the coronavirus have been lifted and now it is time to get back to playing school sport. Neil will help coaches setup their academies and coaching structures so we can get back to playing sport as soon as possible.

 “I cannot wait until we can spend our weekends watching our kids play their sport of choice and Neil will give us the tools to do it as quickly as possible, that’s what makes this episode so exciting.” he added.

 For more information and content, follow Intune with Coaching’s Instagram page @Intune_with_coaching. #IntuneWithCoaching.

Are schools able to return to playing sport? We talk to Bongani Zondi Deputy Director at the DBE

 

Bongani Zondi - Deputy Director: at Department of Basic Education in the Sport and Enrichment Directorate talks to coaches and administrators about the new government gazette that is going to come out in the near future. He talks about what schools can and cannot do, reporting structures that a school needs to follow before they are able to play again, PPE requirements and various other issues that schools face in returning to sport. Mr Zondi is responsible for coordination and management of sport and enrichment programmes in education. These include school sport, arts and culture programmes such as the choral programmes. Some of these programmes are performed in collaboration with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) as well as with a variety of partners such as the Motsepe Foundation and Transnet.

Cricket South Africa, SA Schools Rugby and Sporting talk about how schools can return to sport

 

Schools have been told that they can return to sport but what does that mean?

Can you return to sport? 

What does it mean that schools sport has returned?

Are there limits in the way that you can return to sport?

What happens if you break the rules in returning to sport?

We have asked Cricket South Africa, SA Schools Rugby Association and Sporting Lisbon in South Africa to answer these questions for us. There are some clearly defined rules of what schools and clubs can do and come that are not that clear. These rules are common amongst all sports. It will be interesting to see what the take is of governing bodies that deal with both contact and non contact sport.

School Sport and Where Is It Going Webinar 11 July 2020

This is the first of our series of school sport and where is it going.

School sport is unlikely to resume before 2021. But where does this leave our school sports coaches!

Intune Communications, together with a host of scientists, nutritionists, psychologists and coaches, will be putting together a series of webinars on SCHOOL SPORTS AND WHERE IT IS GOING over the next few months and we invite you to join us in these FREE sessions.

Shawn Belluigi talks about the roles and responsibilities of a coach.

Greg Hurvitz talks about the Art to the Science of Sport Coaching

Kassey Belluigi talks about Interview strategies and the importance of media in sport

Talk to our coaches here and links to the books that we have spoken about. https://pages.services/pr.intunecom.co.za/webinar-series-special-offers/

If you want any additional details including specials contact us at https://pages.services/pr.intunecom.co.za/webinar-series-special-offers/

You can get Greg at his YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOEeXl-pqZ8VvLdcJEqrQYw

To speak to Greg contact us at  https://pages.services/pr.intunecom.co.za/webinar-series-special-offers/

To find out more about our company contact us at www.intunecom.co.za

Intune Communications and Entertainment,School,Coaches,Media,roles and responsibilities of a coach.,coaching,Webinar,South Africa,Sport,Teachers,Professionals,positive,time,education

Powerade Performance Academy concludes the major cities tour triumphantly

The Powerade Performance Academy for 2019 concluded at the Wanderers Country Club in Johannesburg this past Sunday. After a successful run of academies in Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town there was a lot of enthusiasm around the final academy with performance experts ensuring the attending school coaches were given insights and knowledge on effective coaching.

Powerade has aimed much of its efforts on high school coaches in recognising their role as prime influencers of the next generation of South Africa’s sporting heroes.

The list of experts for the Johannesburg leg included; High Performance coach John McGrath, former national team goalkeeper and Supersport United goalkeeper coach Andre Arendse, former Proteas Netball player and University Netball coach Zanele Mdodana and Natalie Du Toit, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games gold medallist.

Puso Makume, Powerade Sponsorship Manager said “As we conclude and reflect on the Powerade Performance Academy for 2019, it has been a privilege to have interacted with almost 300 high school coaches throughout the Powerade Performance Academies in the country. With the inclusion of coaching experts, Powerade has introduced school sport coaches to appropriate training, skills development and the importance of hydration. We hope all coaches will inspire their players to be Always Forward and continue to nurture the next breed of sports heroes.”

Speaking on Understanding the Role of Coaching, Andre Arendse took to the stage and touched on the importance of talent identification and identifying key areas of development to ensure you enable a progressive an inclusive environment.  “It’s been such a pleasure to be part of the Powerade movement as coaches play an impactful role in shaping a well-rounded athlete and team player.” he shared.

The passionate university netball coach, Zanele Mdodana, spoke about the aspect of Changing the Game and Changing Lives which many of the high school coaches could relate to.  “The Powerade Academy gave the opportunity to share my journey I had taken with the Maties team and how we were able to change the players lives through changing the game which lead to the team coming together to seal a successful 2019 season. Through my experiences, it’s been imperative for players to hold one another accountable and create a coach-lead but player centric programme for their desired outcome.”

McGrath dialled the energy up with a practical session where he showed feats of strength and practical examples of breaking boundaries by bending nails, breaking chains, tearing packs of cards and breaking an adjustable wrench.  “These acts I do are all metaphors for what you can do and what is possible. Everyone has an inner voice that prevents us from achieving our goals and it is up to us to decide if we would like to listen to that voice or not.”

“The subject of shifting sports paradigms is one to help coaches of any level understand that to achieve certain things, coaches need to train players to abandon preconceived ideas that people have about their abilities and about what is conceived as a boundary.”

Natalie du Toit concluded the Powerade Performance Academy by talking about How to get the best out of your athlete through coaching and mentoring. “Coaching and mentoring is a topic is spoken about more often at International Olympic and Paralympic committees. Through my session, I wanted to get the coaches to think about the two roles and to see what role they want to play with the teams they coach.”

To connect the coaches across the country, visit the Powerade Facebook Community, Coaches Corner where coaches can interact, share their stories and receive bitesize expert advice from this year’s diverse panel of Powerade Academy experts.

For more information, visit Powerade Facebook page (@PoweradeZA)

Zanele Mdodana

Natalie du Toit

Andre Arendse

SAFA TRANSNET FOOTBALL SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE CROWNED 2012 SANLAM KAY MOTSEPE SCHOOLS CUP CHAMPIONS WINNING R1 MILLION

The School of Excellence, based in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, has been quiet for the past few years as they struggled to get back to the winning days of the past when players like Steven Pienaar attended.  But this changed on Saturday when the school was crowned the 2012 Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup champions after beating East High College of Excellence from Mpumalanga 6 – 5 on penalties.  The game was locked 2-all at the end of regulation time.

The R1 million prize money – and the extra R100 000 the school won  as Gauteng provincial champions – has come at just the right time as long time sponsors, Transnet, will no longer be helping to fund the school.  Having Khabo Zondo, a well-respected and experienced professional coach at the school contributed to the team’s success.

“We have worked hard over the past month to get on top form,” said Zondo.  “The boys didn’t even take the holiday break but stayed at school to train. What pleased me the most about the National Finals was the high standard of football.  Furthermore, there are an increasing number of Academies opening which can only be good for South African football.”

The school further took home three individual awards:  Mbulelo Ngcobe (Best Goal Keeper), Stanley Muishond (Top Goal Scorer – 6 goals) and Paseka Sekebe (Player of the Tournament).

Sekebe was excited to have been named the ‘Player of the Tournament’.  He is hoping that one of the scouts that attended the tournament will offer him a contract as his greatest ambition is to play at the highest level of the game.  Although he stressed that he would like to continue studying after school (as he wants to be a successful businessman one day) as well as open his own academy to help develop more players so that South Africa will be a top football playing country like Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Italy and the likes.

East High coach, Petrus Ndlovu, was happy to make it to the National Finals and says this was a learning curve for him and he will be back next year, with most of the same squad. He believes East High will win the second time around.  “This is our second outing in this tournament.  Last year we didn’t make it to the National Finals and it was my priority to do well in 2012.  I then selected my key four players and went out to find players to beef up the squad.  Most of the squad will be back next year as I have a two year strategy.

East High team captain, Lebohang Maphanga, is happy to have won R700 000 (i.e. R600 000 for second place and R100 000 as provincial champions) for the school:  “I have been with the school for four years and will now focus on my final exams as I want to do well to be able to go to Wits next year and study for my chartered accounting degree. Through the money I helped win for the school I have left a legacy behind which I am proud of.”

The Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup National Finals lived up to expectations as an exciting and entertaining football development tournament.  “Sanlam understands the value of development and the opportunity it gives youngsters to achieve what they hope for,” said Frank Louw, Sponsorship Manager at Sanlam. “We believe that the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup creates opportunities that have a positive impact on the youth, and provides exposure to scouts for talented players.  This National Finals achieved the objectives and I am confident that a number of the players from this tournament will become high profile names in the near future.”

In the other games of the day Rosina Sedibane – Modiba Sports School  beat Harmony High School  1 – 0 to finish in third position winning R500 000 while Harmony clinched fourth position winning R400 000 and R100 000 as Free State provincial champions.

FINAL RESULTS

 
THIRD/FOURTH PLAY-OFF
Rosina Sedibane – Modiba Sports School 1 v Harmony High School 0
GOAL:  Thabang Konaite
 
FINAL
School of Excellence (2) 6  v East High (2) 5
Goals:  SOE:  Richard Moremi, Aubrey Modiba
Goals:  East High:  Muzi Thabotha, Khulekani Mashego
 
INDIVIDUAL PRIZE WINNERS
 
Best Goal Keeper: Mbulelo Ngcobe (School of Excellence)
Top Goal Scorer: Stanley Muishond 6 Goals (School of Excellence)
Player of the tournament : Paseka Sekebe (School of Excellence)
Coach of the tournaments: Petrus Ndlovu (East High College of Excellence)
Fair Play Award: Gaopalelwe Secondary School from North West
 
FINAL POSITIONS
 

POSITION	SCHOOL
1	School of Excellence (GP)  R1 million + R100 000 as Provincial Champions
2	East High (MP) R600 000 + R100 000 as Provincial Champions
3	Rosina (GP) (R500 00)
4	Harmony High (FS)  (R400 000) + R100 000 as Provincial Champions
5	Steenberg Secondary School (WC)   R100 000 as Provincial Champions
6	Ezibukweni High School (KZN)  R100 000 as Provincial Champions
7	Lingilihle Secondary School (EC)   R100 000 as Provincial Champions
8	Mmamoka Secondary School  (LP)
9	Lindile Seconadry School (PM)
10	Dr Reginald Cingo Comprehensive School (FS)
11	Emtshezi Secondary School (KZN)
12	Cloestesville Secondary School (WC)
13	Rietvale High School (NC)     R100 000 as Provincial Champions
14	Mnceba Secondary School (EC)
15	Benny Care Sports Academy (LP)    R100 000 as Provincial Champions
16	Sol Plaatje Secondary School (NW)  R100 000 as Provincial Champions
17	Gaopalelwe Secondary School (WC)
18	Langberg Secondary School (NC)

 

The second day of the Coca-Cola Under 13 Craven Week at the Afrikaanse Hoer Skool (Affies) promised to be a day filled with action and potential upsets. With Springbok lock Bakkies Botha in the stands, and the Blue Bulls vs Golden Lions game on the cards, fans knew that a special day was ahead of them. The day started with SWD proving too strong for tournament under dogs Namibia, who have suffered heavy defeats in both their games played. Limpopo continued to play good rugby and were rewarded with an impressive 27- 7 win over Free State, and are looking like the team to beat at this year’s tournament.

Zimbabwe, who started the tournament well after beating Griquas in their opening match 15 - 7, were unable to repeat this performance and went down 15 – 7 to the Valke.

The game of the day, and possibly the tournament, saw the Blue bulls up against the Golden Lions. With the Bulls playing at home many anticipated a win, however it was not to be. The lions dominated the game from the moment the first whistle blew and seemed the hungrier of the two sides, eventually walking away with a convincing 8 – 3 victory against their arch rivals.  The Powerade Chosen One of the match, Nathan Macbeth from the Lions, had nothing but praise for his opponents: “Beating the Bulls on their own turf means a lot to me and the team. We have great respect for the Bulls, they are a brilliant side and to beat them at The Coca-Cola U13 Craven Week is really special”.

The loss puts the Bulls out of contention for the final, however with Western Province and KwaZulu Natal playing brilliant rugby, despite KZN losing to Eastern Province in a highly entertaining game, fans can be certain to be entertained until the final whistle blows to signal the end of the tournament on Friday. With no games being played tomorrow the young players and coaches will take part in a special Legends Coaching Clinic which will be headed by Ian MacCintosh and Pieter Muller.

Of the 40 years of its existence, Coca-Cola has been part of the week for the past 26, a statistic the company is proud of.  “Coca-Cola sponsors tournaments at the highest level and we are fully aware that no country can be successful without a strong development programme in place and Coca-Cola has played a major role in finding Springboks.  More than 90 percent of the current squad have competed in one of the Coca-Cola Youth Weeks,” said Zayd Abrahams, Head of Sparkling Beverages, Coca-Cola South Africa.

Abrahams said further: “But the four weeks we are involved with, namely the Coca-Cola U13, Academy, Under 16 and Under 18 weeks are also about living for a difference and living a healthy lifestyle.  These are the messages we also promote throughout each tournament.”

The first Under 13 Craven Week took place in Potchefstroom on 3 July back in 1972.  Forgetting to book referees was one of the teething problems the local organising committee had to contend with.  But this is history and the tournament is now established and one every young rugby player strives to compete in.

Results

SWD 17           vs.     Namibia 0

Boland 12       vs.    Border CP 17

Valke 15         vs.    Zimbabwe 7

Free State    vs.   Limpopo 27

Bulls 3            vs.    Lions 8

Leopards 10  vs. Pumas 11

WP 32           vs.     Border 14

EP 11             vs.     KZN 5

FREE STATE ACADEMY WINS THE COPA COCA-COLA 2011

Free State soccer academy, TS Louis Botha is the 2011 Copa Coca-Cola champion.  In an electrifying final that saw 4 goals scored the sports academy beat Sol Plaatjies from the North West 3 – 1 to lift the trophy. The action took place at the Galeshewe Stadium in Kimberley.

Sizwe Ngomo from HTS Louis Botha scored twice to make him the top goalscorer of the tournament with 6 goals in total.  Ngoma also took home the Player of the Tournament award.  Wandile Tjemolane scored the third goal for his school while Lehlohonolo Maruma scored for Sol Plaatjies who was runner up to Ngomo with 4 goals.

“Both teams were deserving finalists,” said Copa Coca-Cola ambassador, Lucas Radebe.  “They both have excellent players with a couple having had experience either internationally or with a PSL club which gives them that added advantage.”

On his overall experience in Kimberly Radebe commented: “I have had a tremendous time in Kimberley at Coca Coca-Cola.  I have watched most of the games and I can name at least two players that I believe we will see in our Under 20 and 23 national teams within the next year or so. These are humble beginnings for these boys and now they must be developed further. I believe our football development is taking shape now.”  

Wesley Ledibane, captain of HTS Louis Botha was thrilled with his team’s success:  “Our plan was to defend and just gauge Sol Plaatjie, which we did.  The first 15 minutes of the game was hard for them and that’s when we got our opportunity to score our first two goals.  It was a gamble as our opponents looked deadly in the opening minutes of the game. They were always on the attack and it was fortunate that we scored our third goal which boosted our moral and gave the players confidence which wrapped up the final”

Ledibane’s career started at the age of 13 when his athletics coach saw his talent with the ball and decided he would do better in football.  He also plays for 2^nd League team, Mangaung Academy.  His coach attributes his success as a captain to his leadership skills, a fighting character and he is a disciplined player. “As the team captain I believe it is important to know how to be neutral and be able to call everyone to order without taking sides,” said Ledibane.

Captain of runners-up, Lebogang Phethu from Sol Plaatjies, was happy to reach the finals and will go home a wiser player:  “We realized that there were three sports academies in the tournament so our approach was just to believe in ourselves and go out there and do our best.  We were very happy to be in the finals.  From a captains perspective it was about being disciplined and I was responsible to lead 10 other players on the field. From a personal perspective I have learnt a lot during Copa Coca-Cola which I know will help me become a better player.

2011 was Sol Plaatjies High School first experience in Copa Coca-Cola. “In our district in the North West we are the champions and getting to the final and all the exposure that comes with it has really motivated us.  I am proud to have been involved in this tournament and we might not have won but we have done our province proud as well.”

Earlier in the day Western Cape Sports School beat Benny’s Care Academy 3 – 0 to finish in third place.  Goals were scored by Diego Booysen, Taahir Ganga and Nathan Adams.

Sammy Mohlaoli, Coca-Cola Senior Communications Manager said of the final:  “It has been an exciting day of football and music.  Copa Coca-Cola falls within our active lifestyle strategy and today we had action of the field and after the final the crowd was entertained by Soul Candi DJ’s and there was a great deal of dancing giving them the opportunity to also get in some exercise. But the final was the main focus and Coca-Cola looks forward to seeing some of the players that competed in the 2011 Copa Coca-Cola going on to become South African hero’s and role models. “ 

HTS High School takes home R150 000, Sol Plaatjie R100 000 while Western Cape Sports School pocketed R60 000. This is over and above the R40 000 cash prize each team receives for being Provincial champions.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:

Top Goal Scorer – Sizwe Ngoma (HTS Louis Botha)

Goalkeeper of the tournamemt – Ophemetse Tekanyo (Sol Plaajies High School)

Player of the tournament – Sizwe Ngoma (HTS Louis Botha)

2011 Copa Coca-Cola Champions HTS Louis Botha High School



2011 Copa Coca-Cola Champions HTS Louis Botha High School celebrating their victory



Wesley Ledimane of H.T.S Louis Botha battles with Lehlohonolo Marumo of Sol Plaatjie during the COPA Coca-Cola National Finals

WESTERN CAPE HOSTS COPA COCA-COLA PROVINCIAL FINALS

The last Copa Coca-Cola Provincial Final will happen at the Lentegeur Stadium, Mitchell’s Plain, Cape Town on Saturday, 26 March, where eight Regional high school winners will fight it out to be the school to represent Western Province in the National finals.  Players and fans can expect an action packed entertaining day that will be further enhanced with a visit by ex Bafana Bafana captain, Lucas Radebe. 

“Copa Coca-Cola promotes on-going youth development through our active lifestyle platform,” said Themba Nobanda, Coca-Cola Brand Manager.  “It is not just about winning, but about respecting diversity, forging friendships, and harnessing the extraordinary power that football has to unite people.  Lucas is a true role model who has played the game at the highest level.  He knows what it takes to get to the top – and stay there - and is therefore an ideal Copa Coca-Cola  ambassador.”

Copa Coca-Cola, explains Nobanda, is also about feeding new players into the existing structures of South African soccer to create a legacy in the sport. Besides the cash prizes to be won, the tournament creates a platform for high school players interested in a professional soccer career to be seen be scouts from SAFA as well as from PSL clubs.  

The Western Cape Provincial finals kick-off at 9am on Saturday and the battle will be between; Robinvale Secondary School from West Coast Region, Gansbaai Secondary School (Overberg Region), Marray Secondary School (Eden Region) Cloetesville Secondary School (Winelands region).   Bastiaanse Secondary School (Karoo Region), Western Cape Sports School (Cape Town Region), Moderdam Secondary School (Cape Town Region) and Portlands Secondary School (Cape Town Region). All schools this week will be trying to dethrone last year’s Western Cape champions Cloetesville High School.

But Cloetesville coach, Chris Joubert, hopes that his team will retain its top position, considering they have successfully defended their title in three out of the four years they have been playing in the tournament. “We have lost some of our keys players that did so well last year but have found some promising new talent,” he says. “We remain positive and go into these finals with a positive outlook. We are a proud team from a proud school, all we can do is play our best and see what happens.

“Keep an eye out for Damien van der Rheede, one of our top defenders. He and striker Ryan Wagenaar are definitely going to cause a stir on the pitch, Joubert adds. “Wagenaar has already been noticed by a number of Johannesburg-based teams and I think this year will be his chance to prove himself.”

The ultimate winner on Saturday will join: Mohlodi High School (Gauteng), Freddie Sithole High School ( Mpumalanga), Groutville High School (KwaZulu-Natal), Kakamas High School (Northern Cape), Ndamase Senior  Secondary School (Eastern Cape), Benny’s Care Academy (Limpopo), Sol Plaatjies High School (North West) and HTS Louis Botha (Free State) at the National Finals scheduled for Kimberley from 31 March to 2 April.

All nine Provincial winners receive R40 000 just for making it as far as they have, and the National winners will receive an additional R150 000. Second place and third place get to take home R100 000 and R60 000 respectively; these lump sums are to be spent on a legacy project of the school’s choice.

“Coca-Cola realises that a successful football legacy cannot be left for the next generation without a strong development programme in place to identify talent that can be nurtured,” says Nobanda. “These youngsters will turn into professional footballers and role models - and bring success to future national teams.”
  
With the Western Cape concluding the provincial finals, the National finals are next up. Regardless of who wins on Saturday, all the finalists will be known and it will be all-systems-go for the intense, high-pressure, high-quality football that the National round of the Copa Coca-Cola is known for.

Media Enquiries:

Themba Nobanda

Brand Manager

Coca-Cola South Africa

082 215 1823

Or

Pearl Ndlazi

083 232 1389

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