Former
Bafana Bafana striker, Shaun Bartlett aged 39, has been appointed by Nestlé
MILO as the Tournament Ambassador for the 2012 Nestlé MILO Champions
Tournament.
Shaun’s
appointment marks the fifth year anniversary of the Nestlé MILO Champions
Tournament and unites his love of football and children, with Nestlé’s passion
for sports development and vision of a healthier lifestyle for children in
South Africa.
Nestlé
MILO is proud to have Shaun Bartlett on board as the tournament’s ambassador
because he is a role model to many children in South Africa who aspire to build
professional careers by playing the beautiful game. In recognition of his role in football and
the impact he has on the lives of these youngsters, Shaun also runs his own football
academy for children, called ‘The Shaun Bartlett Football Academy,’ which uses
professional guidance in football development and training as a gateway to
impart life skills and encourage academic aspirations.
“Shaun
truly understands what it means for children to lead a healthy lifestyle, not
just through sports, but also through eating healthy nutritional food, and that
is what makes him the best choice as the 2012 Nestlé MILO Champions Tournament
ambassador. At Nestlé, it is our vision to encourage children to lead healthier
lifestyles, both nutritionally and physically,” comments Kelly Wainwright,
Nestlé South Africa Marketing Manager for Beverages.
All
provincial champions can look forward to seeing Shaun at the National Finals in
September where some of South Africa’s best U13 players from across nine
provinces will compete against one another for the number one spot - to
represent South Africa at the 2014 MILO African Champions Tournament. Thus far, one school from KZN and Limpopo
provinces have each qualified for the National Finals, and the countdown has
begun for seven more schools from the remaining provinces to qualify for this
exciting football spectacular in their young lives.
“This
is a great opportunity for me to continue to do what I’ve been doing – making
sure that I can develop young talent in South Africa, and also teach these
aspiring footballers how to lead a healthy lifestyle. I think that the younger you teach these boys
that what you put into your life is what you get out; the more they will carry
it as a life lesson throughout their whole lives. So I really am honoured to be the 2012 Nestlé
MILO Champions Tournament ambassador, and I hope I will be able to instil and
inspire the boys to live and play positively – on and off the field,” says
Shaun Bartlett, Nestlé MILO Champions Tournament Ambassador for 2012.
SASFA
President, Mr Mandla “Shoes” Mazibuko also expressed his pleasure ahead of the
National Finals at having Bartlett as the Tournament Ambassador for 2012:
“Shaun is one of South Africa’s best known footballers, locally and
internationally, therefore it is only fitting that he should be appointed as
the Nestlé MILO Champions Tournament for 2012 because he commands a lot of
respect from these young, up and coming footballers. Shaun is a true inspiration and we at SASFA
and Nestlé welcome him on board with open arms.”
