The
2012 edition of the Nestlé MILO Champions Tournament goes to the Western Cape
this weekend, when the sixth provincial final takes place at Steenberg High
School in Cape Town, Western Cape on Saturday, 28th July.
After
an exciting tournament last year, Nestlé MILO in conjunction with the South
African Schools’ Football Association (SASFA) is excited to host the fifth
edition of the U13 schools soccer tournament this year.
The
battle for this year’s provincial honour to represent the Western Cape at the
National Final in September will see six primary schools from around the
provinces’ six districts face off against one another on Saturday. The six schools that will be participating in
the provincial final are: Teske Gedenk Primary, Nomlinganiselo Primary,
Phakamisani Primary, Cloetesville Primary and Parkview Primary Schools.
While
Saturday’s event promises a lot of on-field action, the Nestlé MILO Champions
Tournament is so much more than just a football tournament. By using the
platform of sport, Nestlé and SASFA are determined to educate the youth during
their formative years about the benefits of leading healthy and active
lifestyles while highlighting the positive benefits this has on other life skills.
In
light of this and in an exciting development for the 2012 tournament, former
Bafana Bafana and Charlton Athletic player, Shaun Bartlett has come on board as
the new Tournament Ambassador. Bartlett,
who enjoyed a successful local and international football career for 15 years,
remains close to his passion for the beautiful game by running his own
children’s football academy in Johannesburg.
“Shaun
Bartlett is the ideal Tournament Ambassador, because in addition to his
outstanding sporting career, he embodies the very ethos that we at Nestlé are
trying to instil in the youth – that of leading a balanced and active
lifestyle, while valuing the benefits of a healthy and nutritious diet. We are
very happy to have him on board and I’m sure all the participating schools will
be very excited about it too,” says Kelly Wainwright, Nestlé South Africa
Marketing Manager for Beverages.
The
Western Cape school that will be crowned Provincial Champions on Saturday, will
receive R10 000 to invest in an initiative which is in line with Nestlé MILO’s
values of Nutrition, Health and Wellness. The winning school will be able to
use the funds to improve the sporting facilities or buy sporting equipment for
their school.
In
addition, the overall Nestlé MILO Tournament Champions for 2012 will receive
R150 000, to invest in a similar initiative around the school’s sports and
wellness infrastructures.
“We
wish the best of luck to all the participating schools in the Western Cape this
weekend and hope that win or lose, Nestlé MILO and SASFA have not just changed
the lives of all youth participating in the tournament by developing their
football skills, but also promoted within them, a culture of living a healthy
lifestyle,” says Mandla ‘Shoes’ Mazibuko, President of SASFA.
