ADA HEGERBERG PARTNERS WITH THE DANONE NATIONS CUP TO ENCOURAGE YOUNG GIRLS AND BOYS TO PLAY FOOTBALL AND CHANGE THE GAME

Norwegian football sensation, Ada Hegerberg, first-ever female “Ballon d’Or” winner, partners with the Danone Nations Cup.

Faithful to her beliefs and values, namely in favor of gender equality, Ada Hegerberg joins an esteemed roster of ambassadors including Zinedine Zidane, South Africa’s ex Banyana Banyana player, Amanda Dlamini and Carles Puyol, with a common mission to prove that sport is a force for positive societal change.

The Danone Nations Cup, the largest U-12 football tournament in the world, will host its 2019 world finals between the 10^th and 12^th October.  Games on the final day will be played at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, Spain.

The Danone Nations Cup is proud to announce that Ada Hegerberg, widely recognized as one of the best female football players, will join the movement as a global ambassador and advisor. Bringing her invaluable experience on and off the pitch, Hegerberg will support this unique event aimed at empowering young athletes to shape the society they live in and showcasing how sport can truly be a force for positive change. Hegerberg and The Danone Nations Cup join forces to instill values of equality, respect, and openness among the youth participating in the event.

23 years of age, Ada Hegerberg, has taken the global stage by storm through her perseverance, excellence, respect for others and determination to shed a light on women’s football. Hegerberg began her career playing for NM Cuppen in 2012 and was selected for the Norwegian national team in 2013. Since then, her career took off after her club, Olympique Lyonnais, won the Champions League four years in a row. A historic milestone in her career, Hegerberg was awarded the first women’s “Ballon d’Or” in 2018, in addition to the prestigious “BBC Footballer of the Year” award in 2017 and 2019.

“For me, playing football isn’t just about scoring goals, it’s about the values, respect, fairplay, and commitment that go into the entire process. This year’s Women’s World Cup has received global fanfare and recognition. I’ve partnered with the Danone Nations Cup to provide a longer-term platform and opportunity for girls and boys around the world to play football and experience the life-changing moments that sport can bring. I’ve been fortunate enough to embark on a journey that has completely changed my life, largely thanks to the power of football and I want to ensure that, together with the Danone Nations Cup, we create an ongoing legacy where girls and boys feel comfortable and empowered to play football and change the game!” said Ada Hegerberg.

The Danone Nations Cup truly believes that by playing football, kids can change their perceptions of, and contribute to a better, stronger society. One of the cornerstones of this ambition for change is a strong message in favor of gender equality. While the Danone Nations Cup has always been open to children of all nationalities, backgrounds, and genders, Danone has gone a step further in encouraging girls to partake by launching an all-girls’ tournament in 2017. This year alone, the love for football has brought together over 36,000 girls from 12 countries. The world finals in 2019 will see 8 countries sending female teams including Argentina, England, France, Italy, Japan, Spain, Uruguay and Rebonwe Primary School from Ivory Park Gauteng will represent South Africa.

The South African boys teams that will be travelling to Barcelona are 2018 winners, Nomlinganiselo Primary from Crossroads, Western Cape and Muzuvukile Primary from Richards Bay, KZN.

Previous Danone Nations Cup champions take a step closer to repeating their past success

Daniye Primary School of Bushbuckridge go into the Mpumalanga provincial finals of the under-12 Danone Nations Cup competition determined to relive the glories of 2013 when they won the national title and represented the country at the Danone Nations Cup World Finals in London.

They will be taking on the province’s other regional winners at the Themba Senamela Stadium in Middelburg on 9^th May, and they have a new coach - Mr Gideon Theko – at the helm.

The school was eliminated before the provincial level last year and Theko, who joined the school as a teacher this year, said he has been following their soccer journey for a long time now and is glad that he has been the one to lead them into the provincial playoffs.

“I am passionate about soccer; I used to play soccer while growing up wishing that I could make a career out of it but unfortunately I didn’t reach the professional level so I opted for coaching,” he said. “That was in 1996, so I have 19 years of experience. I have no formal training in coaching and I use my experience that I gained from when I was a soccer player to coach the boys.”

From the first game this year Theko said he could tell that the boys really want to win the tournament this time. “They have been strong, determined and consistent from the beginning and I hope that they keep the momentum going forward. The team has been disciplined, they listen to my instructions and advice all the time, coaching them has been easy for me.”

The team is a completely new one and Theko said while it’s hard not to feel the pressure of wanting to repeat what the 2013 team did, there is the advantage of having the other teams feeling threatened by them.

The 2013 victory has had a positive effect on the school, Theko believes. The number of soccer players at the school has increased dramatically and the parents are more involved now.

“They want their kids to be part of the u12 team because they have seen the benefits,” he said. “There are currently 25 under-12 players who want to make the team. They know that not anyone gets to make the team they have to prove that they are worthy of being a part it.

“We are fortunate to have a great team of players who have natural talent and are thirsty for exposure. We will be selecting the starting line up on the basics: trapping and passing skills as well as the ability to shoot on target.”

Bohlabela Regional Results

Lehukwe 0 vs Daniye 3

Dwarsloop 1 vs Ximhungwe 0

Mashishing 0 (5) vs. Samson 0 (4)

Thulamahashe 0 (4) vs Marite 0 (5)

Daniye 3 vs Madile 0

Dwarsloop 1 v Mashishing 2

Daniye 2 vs Marite 0

Final - Daniye 1 vs Mashishing 0

The teams participating in the Mpumalanga provincial finals are:

Maminza Primary School-Ehlanzeni District

Daniye Primary School-Bohlabela District

Dumelani Primary School-Nkangala District

TBC-Gert Sibande District

About Danone

Danone Southern Africa is part of the Danone Group, one of the fastest-growing food companies in the world.  Danone is present in over 120 countries across all continents. With 160 plants and around 100,000 employees, the Danone Group is the number one worldwide for Fresh Dairy Products. Danone’s mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible.

One of the core values of the Danone Nations Cup tournament is to encourage young people to believe in their dreams. Through this initiative Danone offers a sporting event that reaches out to and inspires millions of children all over the world

DNC Partners:

Mpumalanga Primary School coach is preparing his team for the Danone Nations Cup provincial finals.

Coaching at the under-12 level is crucial in the lives of any potential professional soccer player and requires dedication, repetition, the ability to understand every player and most importantly to instil the love of the game.

This is the view of manager/coach, Jabulani Bhima of Dumelani Primary School of the Nkangala District, KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga whose youngsters have won through to the provincial finals of the Danone Nations Cup happening at the Themba Senamela Stadium, Middelburg on 9^th May.  The school has reached this level on two previous occasions, 2011 and 2013, but never progressed through to the nationals and are hoping that it will be third time lucky this year.

“The Danone Nations Cup is an extremely important tournament for these young kids,” said Bhima.  “We use the tournament as a catalyst to bring change into their lives. We want them to be sociable, confidant and to interact with kids from all over South Africa,” he said.

Bhima started teaching at the school in 1992 and began coaching soccer in 1994. He has an introductory certificate in coaching and attends coaching clinics whenever he can.

“I think having experience and a qualification in soccer go hand in hand, in that way you are able to understand the game practically and theoretically,” he said. “That’s how I coach my team, there’s theory and after that we do the practical on the field. I measure my success as a coach by how they are able to translate the theory into practice on the pitch.”

The players are still young and don’t know much about soccer at this stage, so the coach says he concentrates on the basics. “They need to be able to know when to defend, attack, mark and shoot.  Once a player knows the basics it makes our jobs as coaches much easier,” he said.

At the same time, it’s important as a coach not to be hard on your players. “These are kids and even though we are participating in competitions, we still need to stress the importance of having fun and playing to gain experience,” Bhima said.

Although they still have to win the provincial title, they are already started preparing for the nationals, that’s how determined they are, Bhima said. “We are fortunate to have support from the parents, the SGB, the principal Mrs Eva Maluleka and the community at large. Some parents have indicated that they will travel with us to support their kids and we welcome their support.”

Bhima is still to establish who his competition will be as the other regions are still playing their regional games.

Teams competing:

Maminza Primary School- Ehlanzeni District

Daniye Primary School- Bohlabela District

Dumelani Primary School-Nkangala District

TBC-Gert Sibande District 

Benny's Sports Academy through to the Danone Nations Cup National finals

After years of participating in the under-12 Danone Nations Cup soccer tournament, Benny’s Sports Development and Academy from the Vhembe District, Makhado, Polokwane, will be participating in the national finals of the competition for the first time.

They won this honour after beating Mahupje Primary 1 – 0 in a thrilling provincial final match that took place at Hoerskool Noorderland in Polokwane over the weekend.

“We came into the tournament this year with a new team comprising players that started at the school this year,” said coach, Mr Mbishi Mokwena. “I also only started at the school this year and I am excited to have managed to reach this level of the tournament so quickly.  The school management did not expect the team to win and viewed this year as a learning experience, but deep in my heart I know I would lead the boys to victory.”

Mokwena admitted that it was not an easy win.  “The pitch was muddy due to the rain the previous night and the boys were finding it difficult to maintain ball possession but we persevered and won despite the conditions.”

The first three games of the day saw Benny’s draw with each opponent going on to win two of the three on penalties.   “We did not manage to score enough goals and this is an area I will be working on leading up to the nationals.  We don’t know what to expect but we do know that every team will be doing their best to win the trip to Morocco to compete in the world finals in October.”

Mokwena credits the whole team for the win, the captain, Dakalo Mukwevho in particular as he lead the team beautifully.  “Dakalo lifted the spirit of the boys when they drew the first three games.  He decided to call the boys to a meeting where he gave them a little motivational talk which worked wonders and they rose to the occasion.”

The coach believes that his team was the strongest on the day and will be attending the nationals with a fighting spirit and a winning attitude.  He will be working hard with the boys for the next couple of months which will include watching videos of past world finals.  “But at the national finals I will allow the boys to show off their flare and skills on their own.  I know they can do it.”

North West hosts the next provincial final at the Matlosana Stadium in Klerksdorp on 25 April.  The national finals will be held at Reiger Park, Boksburg, Gauteng on 27 June.

Limpopo Results:

Mmamakwa Primary 1 (2) vs Benny's Sports & Academy 1 (3)

Rammupudu Primary 0 vs  Mahupje Primary 1

Megoring Primary 1 vs Mmamakwa Primary 0

Benny's Sports & Academy 0 (2) vs Rammupudu Primary 0 (3)

Mahupje Primary 0 (3) vs Megoring Primary 0 (4)

Mmamakwa Primary 1 (3) vs Rammupudu Primary 1 (2)

Benny's Sports & Academy 0 (3) vs  Mahupje Primary 0 (1)

Rammupudu Primary 2 vs Megoring Primary 0

Mahupje Primary 1 vs Mmamakwa Primary 0

Megoring Primary 1 vs Benny's Sports & Academy 2

FINAL

Mahupje Primary 0 vs Benny's Sports & Academy 1

About Danone

Danone Southern Africa is part of the Danone Group, one of the fastest-growing food companies in the world.  Danone is present in over 120 countries across all continents. With 160 plants and around 100,000 employees, the Danone Group is the number one worldwide for Fresh Dairy Products. Danone’s mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible.

One of the core values of the Danone Nations Cup tournament is to encourage young people to believe in their dreams. Through this initiative Danone offers a sporting event that reaches out to and inspires millions of children all over the world

Brazilian great, Cafu, to attend the Danone Nations Cup World Finals.

The 32 under-12 soccer teams that will be playing in the Danone Nations Cup world finals in Sao Paulo, Brazil between the 14^th and 16^th November are in for a treat. Groupe Danone has announced that Marcos Evangelista de Morais, better known as Cafu, will be at the finals to watch the boys and give them valuable advice.

The most capped player in Brazilian History, Cafu, has been involved with the Danone Nations Cup as ambassador for Brazil for many years and having him at the final will add value to the experience for the 384 players. 

Groupe Danone understands the key role that past and current great footballers have in influencing the way the youth tackle the game, and therefore encourage every country that competes in the tournament to appoint an ambassador.  It is these great players that encourage the youth to strive for excellence, show tenacity, play fair and most importantly to love the game and have fun. 

Zinadine Zidane still plays a critical role as one of the ambassadors and Cafu will admirably fill this role as an additional international ambassador in Brazil this year.

Cafu played for São Paulo, Roma and Milan. He is regarded to be one of the greatest fullbacks ever to grace the Italian Serie A. In 1994, he was named South American Footballer of the Year, and in 2004, he was named by Pelé one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards ceremony.

He played 142 times for Brazil, including a record 21 World Cup games. He also holds the record of winning the most matches in World Cups – 15. He retired from football in 2008.

Siphumelele Primary School of Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal will be the South African representatives in Sao Paulo after they won the South African Danone Nations Cup title. Travelling overseas and meeting players from all around the world will be an amazing experience for them.

Meeting and interacting with Cafu, one of the true legends of the game, is going to be another highlight of a week that is going to change the lives of the young players forever.

ends

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About Danone

Danone Southern Africa is part of the Danone Group, one of the fastest-growing food companies in the world.  Danone is present in over 120 countries across all continents. With 160 plants and around 100,000 employees, the Danone Group is the number one worldwide for Fresh Dairy Products. Danone’s mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible.

One of the core values of the Danone Nations Cup tournament is to encourage young people to believe in their dreams. Through this initiative Danone offers a sporting event that reaches out to and inspires millions of children all over the world

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Two weeks to go before Siphumelele Primary School leave for Brazil

In two weeks an under-12 soccer team from the small township of Inanda, Pinetown, KZN, Siphumelele Primary School, leaves for Brazil to embark on an experience of a life time.  The team will be competing with 31 other countries in the biggest football tournament for kids between the ages of 10 and 12 in the world, the Danone Nations Cup World Final.

The team won this trip after being crowned Danone Nations Cup South Africa champions, and this is the first time in the tournament’s 14 year history that a school from KwaZulu-Natal will be competing in the World Finals.

Health, nutrition and pleasure are at the heart of the reason Groupe Danone introduced the tournament to the world and for 12 year-old left-winger, Lindelani Radebe, who will be travelling with the team, the 40 000 units of Ultramel yoghurt and Muesli given to the school by Danone Southern Africa has done a lot to help prepare the team for this memorable experience.

Endorsing the message of developing a healthy lifestyle was former Bafana Bafana coach and current Danone Nations Cup Southern Africa ambassador, Neil Tovey, who visited the school recently.  “He told us how important nutrition is to a player and encouraged us to eat well.  Every day we get a box of the Danone yoghurt which we take home for breakfast the next day. I love Danone products, they are the best.”

Lindelani lives with his parents, an older brother and youngster sister in Inanda.  His father is a baker at the local supermarket and his mother is a cook.  He credits his mother in particular for contributing to where he is today.  “She gives me good advice, helps with my homework and is so supportive of me.  I am the first family member to travel on a plane and she is so excited for me.  She really is helping calm my nerves.”

Lindelani’s brother, Sandile; has been his soccer inspiration. “I used to watch him play with his friends. He taught me to play and at the age of 6 years I joined a team called Inanda Stars. I am still a part of the team. We have participated in a lot of tournaments and have travelled around Durban competing. We have won soccer kit, trophies and medals. It’s a great club and they treat their players very well, they have respect for all of us regardless of the age difference.”

Preparations for Brazil are going well said the youngster.  “We are working very hard at the moment. We train for two hours every day under our new coach Mr Yengwa. He has been great. He is teaching us to concentrate on the basic skills, passing a ball, defending and attacking,” Lindelani said.

It’s getting close now and their coach is stressing the mental side of the game. “He tells us to be focused and play to the best of our ability and that we should not be intimidated when playing against other countries,” Lindelani said.

Winning the Danone Nations Cup national finals in June is his happiest memory to date. “We trained very hard and winning the tournament was what we wanted.  I was not part of the team last year and we didn’t win, so this year was my chance to make sure that the school wins because next year I won’t eligible to participate,” he said.

For Lindelani, playing soccer is what makes him happy. “I love soccer because when I am angry I take my ball and start playing soccer either with friends or by myself. It calms me down.”

Getting to know Lesedi

Favourite food - I love all types of food, but I’m a bit nervous that I won’t like the food in Brazil

Favourite subject - English and Natural Sciences

Favourite soccer player - Steven Pienaar, he is a South African player who has made a name for himself internationally, that’s what I want for myself

Favourite SA team - Mamelodi Sundowns

Hobby - I don’t have one, I’m too busy playing soccer all the time

What would you like to do after school – playing soccer professionally is my number one goal

Message to your team mates - I want all of us to have fun and enjoy Brazil, we will never ever get this opportunity again which is why we should take it all in and have fun.

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About Danone

Danone Southern Africa is part of the Danone Group, one of the fastest-growing food companies in the world.  Danone is present in over 120 countries across all continents. With 160 plants and around 100,000 employees, the Danone Group is the number one worldwide for Fresh Dairy Products. Danone’s mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible.

One of the core values of the Danone Nations Cup tournament is to encourage young people to believe in their dreams. Through this initiative Danone offers a sporting event that reaches out to and inspires millions of children all over the world

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DNC Partners:

Draw for the Danone Nations Cup World Finals puts South Africa in Group D

In a month’s time Siphumelele Primary School, from Inanda, Pinetown, KZN, will be playing their final Danone Nations Cup World Final football match in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Groupe Danone held a draw in Brazil this week which put South Africa in Group D with Mexico, Belgium and Indonesia.

The team won the right to travel to Brazil for this once in a lifetime experience by winning the Danone Nations Cup South Africa title and, according to their coach, Siboniso Ndwandwe, preparations are going well.

“After a short holiday the boys are now back at school and it is back to training,” said Ndwandwe. “The South African Schools Football Association has assigned us a qualified coach, Mr Yengwa, who comes twice a week and Neil Tovey (ex Bafana Bafana captain and Kaizer Chiefs player now tournament ambassador) will be visiting our school next week to give us a coaching session.  I have seen the draw and believe it is in our favour and we have a good chance of progressing to the next round.”

The school has also been given the use of a pitch to train on at nearby Nhlanhla Secondary School, which is in much better condition than their own community field, and they are getting assistance from sponsors Danone, who gave the school  over 40 000 cups of Ultramel yoghurt as well as 30 boxes of Muesli. 

“We were overwhelmed with all the product that Danone has given us.  Not only is it being used to help the team build stamina, strength and bone density in preparation for Brazil, but it is also feeding the entire school of over 1 000 pupils. Being in a rural community most of the children’s parents do not work and they rely on government grants and only eat one small meal a day.”

The KZN Department of Education will be hosting a send-off breakfast next Wednesday, which will be attended be the local government officials, the school’s Governing Body as well as the teachers and team. “They will be wishing us well and motivating us before we leave,” Ndwandwe said.

At this stage, it’s all about concentrating on the basics in training, the coach said. “We want to keep it simple and not over-complicate things for the players, so we are concentrating on the basic skills: defending attacking, ball possession and building up stamina,” he said.

“The boys have been consistent in their improvement and are mastering the basics. I can safely say that each player has improved tremendously on their performance at the nationals. They are also more disciplined.”

The excitement is building at the school and in the community ahead of the departure date. “Not a day goes by without the boys talking about going to Brazil and we have to try to keep them calm and focused on school work as they also need to do well in their final exams,” Ndwandwe said.

The coach is impressed with the team’s commitment and discipline. “It would be great to come back with the trophy, but I know that the competition will be tough and I tell the boys that it is all about having fun and they must make the most of this wonderful experience.  There are not many boys in rural areas that travel to other countries, specifically Brazil,” he said

Siboniso Dlamini gets ready to play soccer in Brazil in the Danone Nations Cup World Finals.

When Siboniso Dlamini told his friends Simo and Sandile that he will be flying to Brazil to play soccer in the Danone Nations Cup world finals later this year, they thought he was pulling their leg. Overseas travel is not on the agenda of 12 year-olds who live in dusty Emagwini township in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal.

But it’s true. Siboniso and his team mates in the under-12 soccer teams of Siphumelele Primary school will leave for Sao Paulo to represent South African at the world finals from 14^th to the 16^th November, and it will be the first time any of them will be flying in an aeroplane, much less going abroad.

Siphumelele are the 2014 South African national champions in the Danone Nations Cup competition, which earned them the right to play in the world finals in Brazil.

Siboniso lives with his parents and younger sisters Nokwazi and Mbali and it’s their support, he says that resulted in this opportunity. “My parents are behind me all the time.  They bought me soccer boots when I began playing and my father is always playing soccer with me and teaching me new tricks with the ball.  My sisters look up to me as their older brother and I try to make them proud of me”, he said. His parents are happy that he is getting this experience that they never got.

He joined Siphumelele Primary this year and loves it there. “I love learning and being taught so school work is as important to me as soccer. I am strict with myself when it comes to school work and do all my home work on time. My team mates are my friends at school we hang out together during lunch and play soccer together.”

He started playing soccer at the age of 5. The streets in his neighbourhood are always filled with kids playing soccer. “We all knew the game from watching it on TV, but we didn't understand it very well back then. Now I know the rules and have a better understating of it. I officially started playing this year at Siphumelele when I was chosen for the team.”

Winning the national finals in Gauteng earlier this year will always be one of Siboniso’s happiest memories. “It was the greatest time of life, I didn't think that I would ever travel abroad, especially at the age of 12,” he said. “Most of the other players are also new to the team. We have adjusted well and have grown to become friends on and off the field.”

Sibosino scored one goal at the national finals this year, and is hoping to get more in Brazil. “I love the adrenaline that you get on the field, it's a great feeling, especially when you score a goal,” he said.

He has given the trip a great deal of thought and knows exactly what he wants to gain from the experience.  “I want to learn how to play soccer like the Brazilians, I want to make friends and I want to score at least 4 goals. Our coach Mr Ndwandwe, says he wants us to have fun and enjoy the experience and not to put pressure on ourselves. I know I’m going to learn a lot and look forward to meeting teams from other countries.”

It’s going to be the experience of a lifetime for Sibosino and the boys from Siphumelele Primary. They will return to Emagwini much changed from their taste of the world out there.

Getting to know Siboniso:

Favourite food: Chicken and rice

Favourite music: Kwaito and Gospel

Favourite subject at school: Zulu

Favourite soccer players: Itumeleng Khune and Reneilwe Letsholonyane,

Favourite SA team: Kaizer Chiefs

Favourite international team: Brazil

Hobby: I enjoy jogging, because it keeps me fit and healthy

Favourite movie: The Transporter

What would you like to do after school: Play soccer professionally. If that does not work out I want to become a doctor

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About Danone

Danone Southern Africa is part of the Danone Group, one of the fastest-growing food companies in the world.  Danone is present in over 120 countries across all continents. With 160 plants and around 100,000 employees, the Danone Group is the number one worldwide for Fresh Dairy Products. Danone’s mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible.

One of the core values of the Danone Nations Cup tournament is to encourage young people to believe in their dreams. Through this initiative Danone offers a sporting event that reaches out to and inspires millions of children all over the world

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DNC Partners: