History is made in 2019 Danone Nations Cup
Girls given their break with a seeding in the Danone Nations Cup Finals.
Danone Southern Africa will make history by sending an under-12 girls team to compete in the Danone Nations Cup World Finals in Barcelona, Spain, from October 10 to 12.
Since the tournament’s inception in 2000, only the boys’ teams have participated. In 2017 Group Danone introduced a girls’ tournament to run alongside the boys’.
The first tournament saw four countries participating. This increased to six in 2018 and this year. Now eight countries, including South Africa, are sending girls’ teams.
Head of corporate affairs for Danone Southern Africa Marlinie Kotiah said the inclusion of girls teams this year was a natural progression and growth of the tournament.
“South Africa is one of only a few countries that has been participating in the Danone Nations Cup since its inception. Including girls in the tournament is in line with our new policy of promoting inclusive diversity, openness and changing mentalities.
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“We want to encourage more children to follow their dreams on and off the field, and this includes all youngsters no matter their gender, who they are, or where they come from,” said Kotiah.
The world finals will see both the 2018 and 2019 held simultaneously, with 20 boys and eight girls teams competing. South Africa, along with Japan, Uruguay and Argentina, will be sending girls teams for the first time.
“This year is Danone’s centenary, and the 20th anniversary of the Danone Nations Cup. So, we decided to make it a special occasion,” explained Kotiah.
She added that staging a girls only tournament continues to be work in progress.
She said a pilot study of the girl’s only tournament will begin in Gauteng in 2019, with its success determining a way forward.
“The decision to start in Gauteng is based on the larger number of interested teams there.
“We want the competition to be fair, and the way forward will be determined by the number of girls teams that show interest nationally,” said Kotiah.
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To encourage girls to get interested in soccer – traditionally seen as a boys sport – Danone has brought in ex-Banyana player Amanda Dlamini as an ambassador.
“Amanda has been involved in the tournament in the past, and we have brought her in to assist in enticing girls to start playing the sport. She started playing before the age of 12, and knows the stigma and challenges young girls face.
“Ultimately, we will be helping to uplift the sport and get more South African girls to play at the highest level or become stadium spectators,” said Kotiah.
