NIKE CELEBRATES AARON’S 100th CAP WITH PERSONALIZED BOOTS
JOHANNESBURG, 31 May, 2010 – Nike will be celebrating with Aaron Mokoena this evening as he reaches a significant milestone in his international career leading Bafana Bafana out against Guatemala in Polokwane for what will be his 100th appearance.
Mokoena will appear on pitch tonight in a personalized pair of special edition Nike Elite Series boots. The supercharged boots were individually personalized with the South African flag, and his nickname.
“Aaron is known as the axe because of his formidable tackling style and that is the lettering that he wanted on his boots, Nike added the 100 in order to commemorate his achievement this evening” says Seruscka Naidoo Nike Communications Manager South Africa.
29 year-old Mokoena has played an integral part for the national team since making his senior debut all the way back in 1999 against Botswana in a match that saw him become the youngest player to represent South Africa at international level.
Aaron Mokoena’s boots were customized at the Nike Sandton Football Store in Sandton City.
2010 Fifa World Cup trophy tour
Thulani Ngcobo, nicknamed “Ngcobo 2010” - the lucky winner of the MTN Last Fan Standing competition which will see him attempt to watch 38 Fifa World Cup games.
How to Play Beer "Air Soccer"
All participants must have a drink in hand!
Once seated each person puts his/her drink to his/her right so that each person has a "goal" in front of them.
Start the game by putting the ping-pong ball in the middle of the table and have someone say 1-2-3 go.
On go everyone around the table blows on the ping-pong ball trying to get it into another player's goal. Players can "gang up" on each other of course!
When the ping-pong goes into a player's goal, that player must drink from his/her beer.
That player then restarts the game by putting the ball in the middle of the table and saying 1-2-3 go.
Variations on the game include:
• Filling a glass half or 2/3 full with beer and putting it in the middle of the table and whoever has a goal scored in his/her goal has to jug the beer and then the glass is refilled.
• Use an oblong table and play in teams with one team on each side of the table.
• Play in teams around the table alternating team members as they sit around the table.
Use more than one ping-pong ball at one time!
Instructions
Step 1
• Get ping-pong ball, players who each have a beer in either a cup, bottle or can; and sit around a table.
Step 2
• Each player puts his/her beer to his/her right to form a goal in front of them.
Step 3
• One person puts the ping-pong ball in the center of the table and says 1-2-3 go and all players blow on the ping-pong ball trying to get it into another player's goal and keep it out of his/her goal.
Step 4
• The player whose goal the ping-pong ball oes into must take a chug from his/her beer.
Things You'll Need:
Beer, Table -preferably round, Chairs, Cups, Ping-pong ball, Friends ready to laugh, drink and have a good time!
source: http://www.ehow.com/how_4526999_play-beer-air-soccer.html
Uro-Goal - Its More Than A Game
A Uro-Goal pack includes 2 goal posts with net and swinging ball, and 2 scented green urinal mats - with the option of print if desired.
Installation could not be easier. Simply insert back goal stud into the furthest lone hole, then ease the two front studs into relevant holes. Place in urinal and let the shooting practice commence.
2010 Cape Town - Red Bull Street Style
Sixty freestyle footballers from all four corner of the world battled it out in Cape Town (South Africa) at the Red Bull Street Style World Final 2010.
More videos of the tournament on Friday with South African born street style star - Kamalo... the boy is just wonderful... mmmm.... http://www.youtube.com//proffesorkhumalo
Soccer City sold out for Wits vs Amazulu, Realy you must be kidding!!!
But realy who are these people that have bought tickets?? Wits does not have even 500 loyal supporters. Amazulu hardly have 10 000 supporters in the whole of South Africa. Mind you this 10 000 estimate includes realy old timers from KZN who support Amazulu because of the club name having some reference to the Zulu nation. But the loyal staduim going supporters of Amazulu does not even come to 5 000.
So who has bought the tickets?? Is it general South Africans who love the beautifull game? But where have the general South Africans who love the game been all this time? Never before has teams like Amazulu and Wits attracted such crowds. When it comes to football South Africans only think of Chiefs and Pirates. If you support any other team they think there is something wrong with you.
The studims in South Africa are always empty. More so if its not Chiefs, Pirates and to some extent Sundowns playing. Amazulu themselves cannot sell out a single game in their home staduim. They have even tried to take their games to the football starved part of KZN in the nothern part of the province in Ulundi. Even there in a small staduim they still do not sell out. Wits who seem to start each season by planning how many games they are going to play draws in can't sell out at a tiny Varsity staduim like Milpark. But today these two teams have sold out a whopping 76 000 tickets, 76 000 are you kidding me??
Is it because of the hype in the media about the world cup. Are we as a nation suddenly waking up to the reality that there are other teams in this country other than Chiefs and Pirates? Or are we energised by the fact that we are hosting the world cup in our shores? Are we suddenly feeling the need to support anything that is football related? Is it because people who have never sat foot on a staduim before are suddenly feeling the need to go to games so that they can get an understanding of what makes people travel miles around the world just to watch a 90 min football game?
Are the people buying these tickes actualy going to support Wits or Amazulu? Would it matter whether it was two NFD teams playing in the final? Would the tickets been sold out eaither way no matter who is playing in this final? Is it realy about the game? Or is it about going to the staduim to see the Soccer City for the first time?
Is it this marketing line which has caused these tickets to sell out "Come and see for the first time the spanking new Soccer City Staduim when Amazulu take on Wits in the Nedbank Cup Final"? Will this be the first and the last chance to see this staduim? Will there be no chances in future? Or is it the braging rights you will have till you die to say "I was there when the World Cup Final hosting staduim was unveiled for the first time after being re-done". If this is the reason that has made tickets to be sold out, they one can conclude that ama South Africans angothathekile (we like fashionable things).
The Chinese are very much know to follow anything that is fashionable. They will follow and buy anything that is in fashion at a particular point in time. Their loyalty is zero but they follow anything that is trendy at that particular time. Are we South Africans like that? If it is that than marketers out there need to take note of this and exploit it somehow.
In this country we battle to sell out any league games. As it is beatifull staduims have been built all over the country. However the seats in these staduims will even turn grey over the years because there will be no bums occupying them week in and week out. Perhaps we must build more staduims and unveil then every year so that we can have record crowds in most games.
If you have bought a ticket well done to you. Well done also to the two teams that will experiance something new this weekend when they play for such huge crowds. I hope this will not be the last time you buy a ticket. I will be watching the game on the small screen.
But when the season kicks off I will be supporting my team as I normaly do. Going to their games home and away with no fail in each game. I hope every South African can do the same. We need crowds in our staduims. The vibe is not the same when teams play for empty stands. Lets support football through and through not only when it is fashionable to do so.
By Sifiso
Join the Voice Behind Bafana Bafana
Teko Modise
Moeneeb Josephs & Siphiwe Tshabalala
Matthew Booth & Bafana Bafana players
Jan and Elton meet Matthew Booth
Join the Voice behind Bafana launch
Moeneeb Josephs & Siphiwe Tshabalala
Matthew Booth & Bafana Bafana players
Jan and Elton meet Matthew Booth
Join the Voice behind Bafana launch
World Cup 2010: Measures Put Into Place To Combat Ticket Touting
New regulations kick-off to combat ticket touting in South Africa.By Peter Pedroncelli
With more than 2.5 million tickets for the World Cup finals sold through authorised FIFA channels, the South African authorities have finalised regulations to combat ticket touts.
However, unauthorised operators or sellers continue to exploit the popularity of the FIFA World Cup to lure unsuspecting fans across the world into purchasing illegitimate or unauthorised tickets and/or ticket-inclusive travel packages.
The implementation of a new regulation approved by the Minister of Trade and Industry makes it unlawful for any entity or person to sell or otherwise dispose of FIFA World Cup tickets for commercial purposes as such is an unfair business practice.
“We are concerned that consumers may be prejudiced by believing that they can purchase tickets through avenues which are not authorised by FIFA. Consumers could lose the money that they have paid for tickets or be left in a situation of not receiving the tickets that they have paid for.
"The position is obviously aggravated wherein consumers, in addition to outlaying money for tickets, have used funds to purchase accommodation and flights”, explains Dr Rob Davies, Minister of Trade and Industry in a statement.
To prevent forgery, each ticket features various special security elements such as a barcode. With the electronic turnstiles, invalid or forged tickets will be easily detected.With the new regulations in place the selling and use of counterfeit tickets is inherently fraudulent and as such criminal prosecutions could follow in such instances. It is important to note that any ticket can be traced back to the original buyer who can be made liable according to the terms and conditions.
A special team from FIFA's Legal Affairs Division and from MATCH Event Services are working closely with international and local authorities to take action to combat illegal offers aimed at protecting consumers from misrepresentation and preventing football fans from being cheated.
“This new regulation will greatly assist the enforcement authorities in their efforts to stop unlawful ticketing. In addition, the South African Police Services are conducting criminal investigations into ticketing activities by unauthorised parties which will tighten the control of the sale of tickets even further.
This will enhance the event security and reduce the chances of football fans being let down or being turned away at the match venues, “ explains Clifford Green, attorney acting for FIFA, in a joint press statement.
source: http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/140/world-cup-2010/2010/05/18/1930399/world-cup-2010-measures-put-into-place-to-combat-ticket
WORLD CUP 2010 - LIST OF TV RULES
Dear Friends, Wife, Partner, Girlfriend and all women
1. From 11 June to 11 July 2010, you should read the sports section of the newspaper so that you are aware of what is going on regarding the World of Soccer, and that way you will be able to join in the conversations. If you fail to do this, then you will be looked at in a bad way, or you will be totally ignored. DO NOT complain about not receiving any attention.
2. During the World Cup, the television is mine, at all times, without any exceptions. If you even take a glimpse of the remote control, you will lose it (your eye).
3. If you have to pass by in front of the TV during a game, I don't mind, as long as you do it crawling on the floor and without distracting me. If you decide to stand nude in front of the TV, make sure you put clothes on right after because if you catch a cold, I won't have time to take you to the doctor or look after you during the World Cup month.
4. During the games I will be blind, deaf and mute, unless I require a refill of my drink or something to eat. You are out of your mind if you expect me to listen to you, open the door, answer the telephone, or pick up the baby that just fell on the floor... It won't happen.
5. It would be a good idea for you to keep at least 2 six packs in the fridge at all times, as well as plenty of things to nibble on, and please do not make any funny faces to my friends when they come over to watch the games. In return, you will be allowed to use the TV between 12am and 6am, unless they replay a good game that I missed during the day.
6. Please, please, please!! If you see me upset because one of my teams is losing, DO NOT say "get over it, it's only a game", or "don't worry, they'll win next time". If you say these things, you will only make me angrier and I will love you less. Remember, you will never ever know more about football than me and your so called "words of encouragement" will only lead to a break up or divorce.
7. You are welcome to sit with me to watch one game and you can talk to me during halftime but only when the commercials are on, and only if the half time scores is pleasing me. In addition, please note I am saying "one" game; hence do not use the World Cup as a nice cheesy excuse to "spend time together".
8. The replays of the goals are very important. I don't care if I have seen them or I haven't seen them, I want to see them again, Many times.
9. Tell your friends NOT to have any babies, or any other child related parties or gatherings that requires my attendance because:
a) I will not go,
b) I will not go, and
c) I will not go.
10. But, if a friend of mine invites us to his house on a Sunday to watch a game, we will be there in a flash.
11. The daily World Cup highlights show on TV every night is just as important as the games themselves. Do not even think about saying "but you have already seen this… why don't you change the channel to something we can all watch?" because, the reply will be, "Refer to Rule #2 of this list".
12. And finally, please save your expressions such as "Thank God the World Cup is only every 4 years". I am immune to these words, because after this comes the Champions League, Italian League, Spanish League, Premier League, PSL, FA Cup, etc. By the way if you get stuck on the road call 10111 or AA.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Benoît Assou-Ekotto: 'I play for the money. Football's not my passion'
The Tottenham defender admits to being a mercenary as he seeks to escape the game's unreal worldIf there is one thing guaranteed to vex Benoît Assou-Ekotto, it is hypocrisy. The trouble is, as the Tottenham Hotspur defender acknowledges, his working environment, the parallel universe that is the Premier League, is bogged down in the stuff. It is evident in so many areas but the one that he chooses to highlight involves the interviews that players give to television. Assou-Ekotto has seen it time and time again. Players that he knows to express one view in private, usually strident and expletive-laden, switch to bland when the camera rolls.
"I say: 'Come on, you have two personalities?'" Assou-Ekotto says. "I can't listen to people when they speak like that. I know that they lie, and I hate lies. Me, I am not like that. I am honest all of the time, although the truth is not always good to say."
Assou-Ekotto is the top-level footballer who cuts through the hypocrisy to break what his peers may consider as taboos. The Premier League, he feels, is a shallow and bizarre world, in which friendships are transitory and the hangers-on, particularly the kiss-and-tell girls, are dangerous. He says what plenty of people think. But it is when he discusses his motivation for being a professional that his honesty hits home. To him, football is little more than a job and the driving force has always been the money.
"I arrive in the morning at the training ground at 10.30 and I start to be professional. I finish at one o'clock and I don't play football afterwards. When I am at work, I do my job 100%. But after, I am like a tourist in London. I have my Oyster card and I take the tube. I eat.
"I don't understand why everybody lies. The president of my former club Lens, Gervais Martel, said I left because I got more money in England, that I didn't care about the shirt. I said: 'Is there one player in the world who signs for a club and says, Oh, I love your shirt?' Your shirt is red. I love it. He doesn't care. The first thing that you speak about is the money.
"Martel said I go to England for the money but why do players come to his club? Because they look nice? All people, everyone, when they go to a job, it's for the money. So I don't understand why, when I said I play for the money, people were shocked. Oh, he's a mercenary. Every player is like that."
Assou-Ekotto describes life in the Premier League as following the plot lines to a film. "You read the paper, it's like a movie," he says. The 26-year-old is referring to the more scurrilous stories on the news pages. "Very bizarre … only in England. That's why football is not my passion because when you are professional, the world of football is not good. There are people around you only because you play football; the girls, the same. I have my girlfriend, who I met when I was 18, 19, and I do not want to lose her because when you are a footballer it's not good to meet a new girl at 26."
What of his relationship with Tottenham team-mates? "I have a good feeling with [Aaron] Lennon and [Jermain] Defoe, more these two players but I have a feeling with everybody. I have a problem with nobody. But I have nobody on the phone, except [Adel] Taarabt, who is on loan at QPR and I know from Lens. I only call him. I don't call footballers in my team. I don't believe in friendships in football."
Assou-Ekotto's father, David, introduced him to the game. He had come from Cameroon to France as a 16-year-old to play professionally for Nice and when later he became the coach of Roclincourt & Beaurin, an amateur team, Assou-Ekotto followed them every weekend. It was as much the fear, however, of a modestly paid life within the four walls of an office that drove him to make the sacrifices to become a footballer.
"I knew for a fact that I didn't like school and I also knew that I didn't want to work in an office where I would be paid €1,500-a-month and, at the end of my career, be able to buy a little suburban apartment or something," he says. "Where it became definitive for me was at 16, when I was expelled from school because I was no longer paying attention. I had nothing to fall back on and this forms part of my attitude to football. I give it my very best, being as efficient and professional as possible, because it's all that I have."
Assou-Ekotto argues that his attitude to the job ought not to concern Tottenham's fans because he always switches on his total commitment in matches and training. "Whatever attitude you bring to it, it doesn't matter as long as you are 100% professional, the coach can say: 'He is good enough,' and you are prepared to lose a tooth or an eye for the club, which I am," he says.
Assou-Ekotto has thrived under Harry Redknapp but things were more difficult under previous Tottenham managers Martin Jol and Juande Ramos, with whom he had problems. He also lost any respect for Damien Comolli, the club's ex-sporting director, who brought him from Lens in June 2006.
"Comolli, oh la la, la la," Assou-Ekotto says, having let out a long, low whistle. "I have one simple rule; try to be a man all your life. I said to Comolli that I had a problem with Jol but he said it was all in my head. But then, after Jol left, he said: 'Yes, there was a problem.' Try to be a man!
"With Jol, he had a hierarchy within the team, everybody didn't have the same starting point. He also said to me that I didn't smile a lot. Ramos was always picking little fights. He told me that I was too aggressive in training. I said, 'We don't do tennis, we play football. You think that we are in Spain but we are in England, my friend'.
"With Harry, it's cool. We don't speak a lot and he doesn't care if I smile or if I know who the next team we play is. If I do my job well, it's OK. He is doing simple things that the previous two managers couldn't even think of. He is straightforward and he doesn't play games."
Assou-Ekotto is beginning to look ahead to the World Cup finals with Cameroon. Although he was born in France and has a French mother, there has never been any issue over his allegiance. Like many young people in France born to an immigrant parent or parents, he feels that "the country does not want us to be part of this new France. So we identify ourselves more with our roots.
"Me playing for Cameroon was a natural and normal thing. I have no feeling for the France national team; it just doesn't exist. When people ask of my generation in France, 'Where are you from?', they will reply Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon or wherever. But what has amazed me in England is that when I ask the same question of people like Lennon and Defoe, they'll say: 'I'm English.' That's one of the things that I love about life here."
Before South Africa Assou-Ekotto is on the brink of history with Tottenham. They entertain Bolton Wanderers this afternoon, with a place in next season's Champions League within their grasp. "It would be good for the team, the club and the supporters … they'd enjoy it," he says. "But for me, it would be just another set of games. When we play Liverpool and Chelsea, it's like the Champions League anyway so for me …"
Assou-Ekotto shrugs. It is only a job.
Assou-Ekotto is among the African players to feature at the More Human exhibition at Ozwald Boateng, 30 Savile Row, W1, which celebrates the impact of African players on the Premier League.
source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/may/01/benoit-assou-ekotto-tottenham-hotspur
Mashaba supports Parreira's statement in that 'our football does not have an identity'
In his response when asked to comment about that statement made by Carlos Parreira, he agreed and made an example about the two styles of football played by Cape Town teams and the ones by Johannesburg teams.I thought about this and I too agree with Shakes Mashaba. Can having him coaching the U-23s and Pitso Mosimane or whoever coaching Bafana Bafana help us forge that so called identity?
I guess this should start at team level before one can implement it at national level. The question then is, how does one convince teams to play a certain style of football in the name of forging a 'national identity?'
Teams use certain styles with an aim of winning games, am lost as to how best can this be approached for us to have it as a common style even at the national team level.
Maybe that is why Cape Town players are not so lucky in terms of getting call-ups, the idea may be, they will take time to adapt to the Johannesburg-like style played at national level.
What is your contribution on this so called 'national identity' our soccer lacks?
By Thulane (Diskioff Contributor)
Why fake Bafana jersey leads to life of crime
Despite my surname, I've never had much of a mind for crime. I fear that's about to change.
Here's why. I do not own a Bafana jersey. That's also going to change soon, and I will happily buy the best fake I can find. And so I will commit a crime. Guilty, guv'nor. Take me away.
Like most criminals, I will blame my dastardly actions on a third party: the officials of the SA Football Association (Safa).
"This," one of them said with a satisfied smirk on television the other day, "Is a genuine Bafana jersey." Then he held up another shirt and scowled, "and this is a fake Bafana jersey."
Could have fooled me. The jerseys looked identical. But wait. There's more. He pointed out that the sleeves of the real thing were hemmed with green thread. No such luck for the counterfeit. And that was that as far as differences went. Actually, it wasn't.
The official Bafana jersey costs R599. You can lay your hands on an ersatz version for R180. Let's see: R419 - the difference between the prices of the jerseys - for a bit of green stitching? Umm, I don't think so.
So, money is what separates fact from fiction here. Safa makes a mint from sales of its official merchandise. It makes not one cent from the stuff sold in dodgy flea-markets.
Forgive me if I fail to see the immorality in an organisation being fleeced out of the profits of overpriced products. The same products that other companies offer for sale at a fraction of the official price. The last time I looked, that was called healthy competition.
You can see the same sort of non-thinking in the decision to slash the price of World Cup tickets. Marvellous though the idea may seem, South Africans who shelled out for their tickets when the prices were higher won't think so.
And another thing. Many of the fake jerseys out there are emblazoned with the Protea badge on the left breast. All well and good - we are talking about the national football jersey, after all.
But the shirt Safa would flog to the likes of us for R599 is sans Protea.
Do the people who run Safa honestly want the rest of us to think that those evil criminals who manufacture and sell counterfeit goods are more patriotic than they are?
Perhaps they don't want that. As we speak, Safa is casting about for ideas on how to implement its decision to print the national emblem on to the jerseys it has already sold.
Hang on. I need a moment to make sense of this nonsense. So, even if we take the cost factor out of this discussion, it appears that the underworld has produced a more desirable football jersey than the folks in the white hats at Safa.
And Safa is now wondering how to recall its jerseys to upgrade them to the superior level of the fakes.
How beautifully diabolical. So much so that I resolved to channel Lewis Carroll and lurch into similarly fantastical ridiculousness. I tried hard, putting on one pink and one purple sock, drinking pomegranate juice upside down, and singing "Blue Moon" to a treasured portrait of my mad aunty May.
But, no, nothing I could dream up in my altered state competed with this bizarre reality. My gob is truly smacked. Call me floored, flummoxed and frazzled. But, hey, don't call me law-abiding.
- This article was originally published on page 32 of Cape Times on February 24, 2010
36 days to go, Feel it, it is here! Can we trust and believe the SABC will televise all 64 matches?
Have been disappointed by the SABC over the years and do not trust them anymore.This time they promise as the official broadcaster of the World Cup, they will televise all 64 matches but i am not convinced.
The SABC did not do so in many occasions when they had the rights to broadcast PSL or Bafana Bafana games but opted to show the so called delayed-live games.
What would have changed this time around for them to forget about the Generations, Khumbul'ekhaya etc? Shall we trust this slogan or a man should do it at his own risk?
By Thulane (Diskioff Contributor)
NIKE LAUNCHES ‘ELITE SERIES’ FOOTBALL BOOTS TO BE WORN BY WORLD’S BEST FOOTBALLERS IN SOUTH AFRICA
BEAVERTON, Ore. (May 3, 2010) – NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) today unveiled its supercharged Nike Elite Series football boots providing new levels of performance. Nike’s Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II, CTR360 Maestri, Total90 Laser III and Tiempo Legend III all feature new performance upper to improve on-field visibility and a reengineered outsole to deliver lightweight performance for every style of player.
Nike designers have reduced the weight of each boot so players can perform at their best. Lightweight construction, intricate engineering, carbon-enforced strength and high contrast colors distinguish the boots.
The high contrast colors (Metallic Mach Purple and Total Orange) are engineered together for enhanced visibility. For a footballer this unique combination is designed to increase visual performance enabling them to quickly spot their teammates and execute a game-changing pass.
“At Nike, we have a relentless focus on product innovation to give athletes a real competitive edge and deliver the best products in the world,” said Andrew Caine, Nike Design Director for Football Footwear. “The Nike Elite Series delivers lightweight and highly engineered boots for the leading players in the world to perform on the biggest stage this summer”.
Lightweight performance and enhanced on-field visibility
Research shows that the average energy expenditure of an elite player is over 1,000 Kilo Calories per game for a 75kg player. Reducing the weight carried by players helps reduce the energy needed over the course of 90 minutes. By delivering lightweight supercharged performance to all four of Nike’s statement level boots the goal is to give players an edge in the final stages of a game.
Super-strong, lightweight carbon fiber plates mean the Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II is 5% lighter. The CTR360 Maestri is 19% lighter. Both the Total90 Laser III and Tiempo Legend III are 16% lighter.
With nearly four years of game analysis, biomechanical studies and player testing the design team and Nike Sports Research Lab (NSRL) collaborated to understand how to deliver new product innovations including incorporating visual performance benefits into boot design.
An average person’s vision is 99% peripheral. Under 1% is considered foveal, or focused vision. To spark increased focus of peripheral vision Nike designers analyzed the color spectrum to identify two, high-contrast colors, so that when a player is running with these boots the colors trigger a stimulus to rapidly tune peripheral vision. Mach Purple and Total Orange provided the perfect blend to create this effect and performance advantage.
The Elite Series is available to players at all levels and also incorporates Nike Football+ which features exclusive insider access to the world’s best coaches, players and teams for total game improvement. Nike Football+ Master Series builds expertise in Control, Accuracy and Speed through elite insights and pro training. This includes a special Elite Series signature move from Atletico Madrid and Argentina star Sergio Aguero that will launch at the end of May.
All four Elite Series boots, the Nike Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II, Nike CTR360 Maestri, Nike Total90 Laser III and Nike Tiempo Legend III, are available at retail and at www.nikestore.com as of May 22, 2010.
For more information including multimedia, visit http://www.nikemedia.com/
Nike Sportswear Presents First-Ever South African Collaboration
That was the take-out from Kronk, an emerging artist from Cape Town who collaborated with Nike Sportswear on the football collection.
At an exclusive preview event on Monday, 3rd May at the Gallery on 4th in Melville, Nike Sportswear presented their collaboration with Kronk’s to his biggest fans – players from the national football team.
Itumeleng Khune, Teko Modise, Katlego Mphela and Siphiwe Tshabalala made a guest appearance to meet the creative brains behind the locally-flavoured collection rooted in football.
The players also showcased the collection, which features: N98 Track Jacket, AW77 hoodie, kit tee, polo shirt, Nike Dunk high top and Nike Lunar Chukka.
Each artist had to contribute a badge or crest, mascot, print and typeface in their own unique style.
“For the crest, I looked at all the PSL teams logos, and decided that if our national side is made up from these teams, I would recreate and unify all these logos around uniquely South African influenced elements,” said Kronk, of his design.
The mascot draws the most attention as this two-headed vuvuzela-wielding character is part fan, part player, leaving.
“Nike Sportswear creates a new expression of style and the Bleed Your Colours campaign is the perfect example of how we are celebrating the beautiful game of football, in a way that connects to the national team fans who dwell at the intersection of sports and culture,” said Kemi Benjamin, Nike Sportswear Brand Manager.
The campaign is further supported by a locally produced viral which has the Bleed Your Colours kicking off in Johannesburg. Kronk’s designs coming to life as Mzansi literally begins to bleed with the green, black and yellow of the national flag seeping through the city. Khune makes a cameo appearance with Kronk.
The Nike Sportswear South African collection will be in available from Friday, 7th May in leading retail, including Gallery on 4th in Melville and Nike Sportswear Cape Town at the V&A Waterfront.
