Around 2.5 Million kids from over 34,000 schools and 11,000 clubs in 32 countries played in the 2013 Danone Nations Cup Now the 32 winners will play in the World Final at Wembley Stadium, London.

The Danone Nations Cup is the world's greatest football tournament for children aged 10 to 12. It is a unique event that has been an inspiration to millions of youngsters from every corner of the world for almost fourteen years! The winning teams from each of the thirty-two countries taking part live through a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and have the opportunity to be crowned champions at the World Final. For nearly ten years, the tournament has been fortunate enough to have Zinédine Zidane as its ambassador and to benefit from his commitment to high quality football and fair play.

Created in France following the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Danone Nations Cup World Final has been an international affair since 2010, playing host to young footballers in prestigious global arenas such as the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid in 2011 and the National Stadium in Warsaw in 2012. This year, for the 14th edition of the Danone Nations Cup, the thirty-two winning national teams will be heading to London and to the legendary Wembley Stadium.

Over the years, the competition has established itself as a highly respected event with FIFA endorsement. It now enjoys a solid reputation within the world of professional football and partner organizations. For Danone, it is more than just a competition. It is a way of putting into practice the company's mission, ‘to bring health through food to as many people as possible, by teaching children about the positive values of sport, and the importance of a proper diet and exercise.’

32 National Tournaments

Every year, around 2.5 million children from over 34,000 schools and 11,000 clubs from around the globe take part in local, regional and then national Danone Nations Cup competitions, before the winners fly off to compete in the grand World Final.

In each of the 32 participating countries, Danone's subsidiaries organize their national tournaments in partnership with the local Sports Federations and/or State Education and Sports Ministries and take place between February and July.

Wembley, the "Cathedral of Football"

This celebrated stadium re-opened in 2007, having been rebuilt in preparation for the 2012 Olympic.  Wembley has played host to the best-known names in world football, the greatest sporting events and the biggest concerts. And this year, the children of the Danone Nations Cup will get a unique chance to play on its hallowed turf.

The 16 matches scheduled to kick off from 1.30pm onwards will decide the ranking for each of the 32 teams.

The first 14 matches (to determine places 5 to 32) will each last 20 minutes and will be played simultaneously on half-size pitches.

The World Cup Final itself will be played consecutively, with each game lasting 20 minutes, and will see the third place playoff and the match involving the England team.

At 6pm the award ceremony will take place.  The winning team will receive a trophy, as will all the teams taking part. Individual honours: top goalscorer, best outfield player and best goalkeeper

Team honours: Fair Play Award

Previous Winners

2012 South Korea

2011 Brazil

2010 Mexico

2009 South Africa

2008 France

2007 South Africa

2006 Reunion Island

2005 Russia

2004 Spain

2003 South Africa

2002 Argentina

2001 Reunion Island

2000 France

BANTWANE PRIMARY SCHOOL HEAD FOR JOBURG TO COMPETE IN THE DANONE NATIONS CUP NATIONAL FINALS

Bantwane Primary School, located in the village of Dennilton in Limpopo, booked their place in the national finals of the under-12 Danone Nations Cup by beating Pula Madiboga Primary, on penalties, in the provincial final at the Westernberg Stadium last weekend.

The win means they will travel to Reiger Park in Boksburg, Gauteng, for the national finals on the 22^nd June and, according to their coach, Mandla Dube, the entire school community is chipping in to make it a special occasion.

“I want to expose the talents of these boys as much as I can so that one day they will have the opportunity to choose between an academic and a sporting career,” Dube said. “I would love it if one of my players would one day play in the PSL or even for Bafana Bafana.”

“The whole community is behind us and they are raising funds so that we can spend time in a hotel before leaving for Johannesburg.  The aim is to build team spirit and make sure we are fully rested and prepared,” said Dube. “We are hoping the local municipality will come on board  as well,  seeing that we have lived up to our promise by winning the provincial finals and are taking the initiative by implementing these fundraising projects.”

The Limpopo provincial final was a tense affair, with little to choose between the two sides. “We drew with Pula Madibogo Primary School in our earlier encounter, and neither team could score a goal in the final, so we went to penalties. The penalty shootout was very exciting and we matched each other, goal for goal, until we snuck home 9-8.

Dube will be looking to his top goal scorer, Tebogo Makalake, who is also the team captain, to do the business for Bantwane in the national finals. “He is a true leader and a dedicated person. His shooting is very accurate and he is very quick,” he said.

Dube said they are dreaming big. “We are actually more than ready! We are looking beyond the national finals and are fixing our passports for the international play-offs in London in September. The possibility of playing at Wembley stadium is what is motivating us.”

Limpopo Provincial Final Results

Pula Madibogo 0 Bantwane 0 (Pula Madibogo won on penalties).

Thapola-A-Nkona 0 Mphaka 0 (Mphaka won on penalties).         

Benny's Sport D&A 1 Pula Madibogo 1(Pula Madibogo won on penalties).

Bantwane 0 Thapola-A-Nkona 1.

Mphaka 3 Benny's Sport D&A 0.

Pula Madibogo 1 Thapola-A-Nkona 0.

Bantwane 1 Mphaka 0.

Thapola-A-Nkona 0 Benny's Sport D&A 3.

Mphaka 0 Pula Madibogo 1.

Benny's Sport D&A 0  Bantwane 0 (Bantwane won on penalties).              0(3)       

Final – Bantwane 0 Pula Maibogo 0 (Banwane won on penalties).

GAUTENG TO HOST FINAL DANONE NATIONS CUP PROVINCIAL FINAL

Gauteng will host the last U-12 Danone Nations Cup football provincial final on Saturday, 15 June at Reiger Park, Boksburg.  The eight teams will start playing at 9am with the final taking place at 2pm.

Schools from Gauteng have always done well in this competition.  Johannesburg’s Bree Primary won in 2008 and 2009, the latter year they went on to win the World Finals after beating the team from Switzerland in the final at the Orlando Stadium.

Last year’s Gauteng champions, Sonqoba Primary School narrowly lost in the final game of the tournament to KZN’s Sinamova Primary, who went on to represent South Africa in Poland in the World Finals.  The school is back in the Gauteng Provincial finals again this year. Coach Thulas Sibeko is hoping they can go one step further than they did last year and make it onto the plane to London, where the Danone Nations Cup World Finals take place in September, this time around.

“The team has done well so far,” Sibeko said. “They always give 110% during the games and the results speak for themselves. We are training hard and I have been helped by Wonderboy Mtshali who was appointed by the Education School Support Programme. He has extensive knowledge regarding coaching and he adds his expertise in preparing the boys for the provincial finals.

“I tell the players that without working hard, they will never achieve anything in life. They need to be disciplined, work hard and never miss training. I also mention the possibility of going to London for the World Finals, which helps in lifting their spirits and getting them to do their best.”

Also in the finals will be Tsakane Ext 8 Primary School from the East Rand, a school that is only in its second year of existence. Making the provincial finals has been a huge achievement. Coach Mfaniseni Kunene says, “This was the first time we entered the Danone Nations Cup and yet we managed to make it this far. It’s quite an achievement for a school that is one year old.”

Several players have been doing well for the team so far, but the one that has impressed Kunene most has been goalkeeper, Thembinkosi Ngobeni. “He has stopped many an opponent from scoring goals.” he said. Kunene has moved training sessions to a half ground in preparation of the tournament. “Their soccer skills are good; we are now working on getting them to understand the rules of the game,” he said.

Also competing will be Kgomoco Primary School who has been playing in the tournament since its inception in 2000, but never have they made it to the National finals.  Last year they competed in the Gauteng provincial finals and coach, Tebogo Shale, is hoping to take it a step further this year.

“The kids are excited about the possibility of representing the country in London and are looking forward to playing the upcoming matches,” Shale says.

PARTICIPATING TEAMS

Sidibeng East D7-Kgomoco Primary School

Gauteng East D5-Tsakane Ext 8 Primary School

Ekurhuleni South D6-Sonqoba Primary School

Gauteng West D2-Isiqalo Primary School

Johannesburg North D10-Lukholweni Primary School

Johannesburg South D11-Basa Tutorial

Tshwane West D15-Manamelong Primary School

Tshwane South D4-Makgwaraneng Primary School

GOALKEEPER HELPS SCHOOL WIN DANONE NATIONS CUP PROVINCIAL FINAL

Manzile Eltomo, goalkeeper for Danyeni Primary School’s under-12 soccer team was the toast of Merry Pebbles Stream –an informal settlement near Piet Retief in Mpumalanga last weekend.

It was his spectacular penalty save in one of the pool matches at the Mpumalanga provincial finals of the Danone Nations Cup that kept his side in the competition, and allowed them to go on to win the Mpumalanga title and take one step closer to an incredible dream – representing South Africa at the Danone Nations Cup world finals in London in September.

Ernest Mabunda is the principal of the school, and also the team’s coach. He puts his side’s success in the competition in perspective when he explains that most of the children come from a very poor background. “Most of the families depend on social grants for survival,” he said. “It’s hard for them to get basic things that most of us take for granted. Often they come barefooted to school all year round, with no uniforms.”

So, winning the provincial finals has been a tremendous boost for the school. “We are all

thrilled and the morale is very high at the moment,” Mabunda said. “The parents are so excited for the children and the school and will be coming to support the kids building up to the National Finals.’

The national finals will be in Johannesburg in August “Most of the players have never been to Johannesburg. They know it as the centre of soccer,” Mabunda says. “It will be an educational experience for them.”

Danyeni Primary has been competing in the competition since 2000, and this is the first time they have advanced to the national finals. “It’s a huge achievement for the school,” Mabunda said, “and we have the full support of the community.”

Mamunda says he can see how winning the provincial title has boosted the confidence levels of the players. “We have increased the time we spend in practice. We want to make sure that we are one step ahead of the other teams. The boys are disciplined and are giving 100% at all times. I can see how committed they are when it comes to practise sessions.”

Mpumalanga Provincial Finals - Embalenhle Stadium, Saturday 18 May

Imizamoyethu Primary 1 Dumelani Primary 0

Zandile Combined School Danyeni Primary 0 (Danyeni won 3-0 on penalties).

Zandile Combined School 0 Imizamoyethu Primary 1

Dumelani Primary 1 Danyeni Primary 3

Danyeni Primary 2 Imizamoyethu Primary 0

Dumelani Primary 0 Zandile Combined Shcool 1

Final – Danyeni Primary 0 Imizamoyethu Primary 0 (Danyeni Primary won 2-0 on penalties).

Health, nutrition and pleasure are at the heart of everything Danone does. Every day they work to promote the benefits of a balanced and varied diet. Encouraging physical activities is a part of this ambition: bring every day health by nutrition to the greatest number of people.

Since 2000, Danone has invested in sport, which promotes strong values, and is an essential element in the balance and upbringing of children, through the worldwide event: the Danone Nations Cup

EASTERN CAPE PRIMARY SCHOOL IS THE HOST OF THE NEXT DANONE NATIONS CUP PROVINCIAL FINAL

Nkunzimbini Junior Secondary School gets the chance to go for a long-standing dream on Saturday – to qualify for the national finals of the U-12 Danone Nations Cup. The school is from Nyandeni Libode Municipality in the Eastern Cape and is one of seven Schools playing in the Eastern Cape provincial finals on Saturday May 25 at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium, East London. Games commence at 9am.

Nkunzimbini has been playing in the tournament since 2000 but has never made it to the national finals before.  Team coach Gideon Maqokolo says they have been hard at work preparing for Saturday. They train twice a week for two hours, and have been using whatever spare time they can get to put in some extra training.  The weekends have been used for friendly matches against local teams so that the players can get used to playing competitive football. “Many of the kids lack confidence which is a problem I am working on,” says Maqokolo. “I am trying to get them to forget about specialising on one position at this stage as that limits them.”

Maqokolo says he does not want to single out players in the team as everyone is important. “Often people rely on their strikers, but the game of football is not just about the goal-scorer. The build-up to the scoring opportunity is just as important. If you single out a player, and he gets injured, it can affect the rest of the players and their morale. To me everyone is important.”

Coaching a team like this is not easy and Maqokolo tells the story of one of his players whose father has more than one wife. His mother is the wife who is neglected and not supported by his father. “This strains him emotionally and I have encouraged him to open up so that this doesn’t affect his performance,” Maqokolo says. “I sometimes take him home with me and he sleeps over at my place because all my players are like my own children and it is my duty to groom them mentally and physically so that the tournament can benefit them in all aspects.”

Nkunzimbini Junior Secondary has played in many tournaments including represented South Africa in Ghana in 2010. The school recently won the netball provincial tournament for the Eastern Cape.

Maqokolo explains that the school’s progress in the tournament has raised the level of interest in soccer in the community. “We have had many kids coming to join the school soccer team, some even take it upon themselves to join us when we are training,” he said.

The school involves the parents of the players in all their activities as their commitment makes it easier for the team to succeed. “We meet with them and sometimes do house visits to parents whose children are taking part in the competition. We all need support in doing what we love and we are trying to make sure that the children excel at what they do,” Maqokolo says.

The winners of Saturday’s provincial competition will play in the National Finals in Johannesburg in June, with the eventual winners there earning the honour of representing South Africa at the Danone Nations Cup World Finals in London in August.

The Nkunzimbini players are all soccer nuts and they know all about British football and Wembley Stadium where the final day of the Danone Nations Cup will be played this year. That is a huge motivating factor for them.