Four teams from Mpumalanga will do battle in the Danone Nations Cup provincial finals to determine who will compete in the national finals in Gauteng.
The four schools that will be competing in the u.12 Danone Nations Cup Mpumalanga provincial soccer finals will be fielding their strongest teams in an attempt to clinch the trophy and get the opportunity to travel to Gauteng for the national finals.
But it doesn’t stop there, in the 20 years since the launch of the tournament, only one school from the province has made it to the world finals and all four believe it’s about time Mpumalanga got to that level again.
This year the world finals will take place at the RCDE Stadium, Barcelona, Spain between October 10 and 12.
The provincial finals will take place at the Mpumalanga Stadium in Ermelo on Saturday, May 4.
Entrance is free and the games kick-off at 10:00.
The teams that have qualified are: Nelsville Combined School (Nelspruit, Ehlanzeni district), Robert Carruthers School (Emalahleni, Nkangala district), Qambekile Primary School (Ermelo, Gert Sibande district) and Mahlambandlopufu Primary School (Bushbuckridge, representing Bohlabela district).
Qambekile are in the provincial finals for the first time and according to their coach, Sboniso Sithole, it’s because he allowed more time for preparation.
“I teach Grade 7 Mathematics and it takes up a lot of my time. This year I decided to put in extra time to prepare the team better and this has paid off.”
Sithole is a passionate soccer coach and plays for the local Department of Education team but has no formal coaching qualifications.
“I am not concerned at not having a coaching qualification as I am coached by a professional at club level and he gives me all the help I need to take back to the boys”.
“Competing at district level was excellent for the boys. We were up against some good teams and I learnt a lot and the week prior to the provincials will be spent correcting mistakes and implementing what we learnt. I am passionate about soccer and watch a lot of games from around the world on television. I would really like to take the team to Barcelona. I’m very motivated and feel we are in the running for the trip. Having home ground advantage will help us as well.”
Coach Peter Tau from Robert Carruthers School also believes he has a good chance of winning.
“I have a pretty decent team this year,” he said. “We reached the provincial finals two years ago and we might not have won, but I learnt a lot and we have implemented many new strategies which has made a great difference to the team. Our captain and striker is a particularly talented player who reads the game well. He is a great sports all-rounder who also competes in sprinting and high jump. Being a good athlete helps a lot on the soccer field.”
The coach started the season off with a braai including the players and their parents.
“It was motivating for the boys, parents are of critical importance to kids as their support makes them try harder and work better. If we get into the nationals we will repeat this.”
It is also a first for Nelsville Combined School from Nelspruit.
Their new team manager, Sizwe Mthethwa, is impressed with the performance of the team.
“Hard work and commitment are what helped us get through to the provincial finals. It is our first time in the provincial finals, but I believe it is a first for most of the others as well, so the playing field is level,” he said.
Coach Rewano Swarts has been with the team for several years and has done wonders with the boys believes Mthethwa.
“Our midfielder, Jayden and left wing, Milano are exceptional players and should make their mark on the weekend. They both play for the local club, FC Leopards, which is a help for us.”
The final team competing in Ermelo is Mahlambandlopfu Primary School from Bushbuckridge.
The coach, Clive Maluka, started working full time at the school as the Mathematics and life skills teacher at the beginning of the year and also teaches Physical Education and opted to run sport.
“Sport has not been a priority at the school for many reasons, one being the lack of facilities. On joining I decided this must change as I have seen the important role sport plays in education.”
Maluka is the only male teacher at the school.
“I am passionate about soccer. No one can tell me anything about any club whether it be Manchester United, Liverpool, Sundowns or Kaizer Chiefs as I watch every game and learn from them. One of my subjects that I did when studying for my education degree was sports management and that is my qualification. It has taught me a lot about the development of the human body and when and how to get the best out of young players.”
Maluka worked in Corporate Social Investment in the corporate world until the company he was working for closed its doors.
“With the support of my wife I decided to change focus and studied for my education degree through Unisa. In the meantime, I worked with the kids in the townships teaching them soccer. I have now set up an NPO with some of my local friends in Bushbuckridge and we will be starting a soccer development programme. I have seen how little there is around here to keep the youngsters entertained and we plan to make a huge difference in the local community,” he said.
South Africa is one of only two countries that have won the world finals three times: in 2003, 2007 and 2009.
The 2018 and 2019 world finals will take place as a double-header in celebration of Danone’s centenary and the 20th edition of the Danone Nations Cup.
“It is an important year for Danone,” explained Chantel Ehlers, Internal Communications Manager, Danone Southern Africa. “Not only is Danone turning 100 and it is the 20th edition of the Danone Nations Cup, but this year also coincides with our new brand positioning and purpose, One Planet One Health, which reflects our belief that the health of humankind and that of the planet are interlinked and both need to be protected and nurtured. Through the Danone Nations Cup we are contributing to bringing this vision to life by promoting the importance of exercise. Further, we are encouraging our young athletes to ‘Play Football, Change the Game’, which is a rallying message to unite children, irrespective of their backgrounds and cultures and to encourage them to become catalysts for positive change.”
*Shapeve were the 2018 champions but were knocked out by Qambekile Primary in the Gert Sibanda district and Mahlambandlopufu Primary School beat Daniye in the Bohlabela district.
