The five regional winners in the province will be vying for the
honour of representing the province at the national finals in Gauteng in June
and taking the next step up the ladder which leads to London and the Danone
Nations Cup World Finals in September. The 2012 winners and runners up
(Kgwahlele Primary School – 2011 and 2012 champs and Dorothy Langa) were
knocked out early in the Cluster level so the playing field is level and all
schools have an equal chance of winning.
Benny’s Sports Development Academy has been playing in the competition since 2010
and this is the third time they have made it through to the provincial finals.
Their team manager, Richard Sidebi, says training has been stepped up a notch
in preparations for this weekend. “It’s a fortunate thing that all the kids
stay at the school boarding house and that has made things easier for us as we
don’t have to worry about players arriving late in the morning,” he said.
Sedebi says his defenders Oscar Nemavhulaha and Chris Mukwevho –
who is also the team captain – have formed a solid defensive combination. “They
have both played in the competition before and the young captain has been doing
a very good job since we started preparing for the tournament. Further, the
prize of a trip to London has been a big motivational factor for the team. They
are now more committed and have shown courage and hunger in their past two
games. We would love to represent SA as that would help put our school in a
map. For these kids, it would be a trip of a lifetime,” he said.
Bantoane Primary School will be making their first appearance at the provincial finals
after four attempts. Coach Mandla Dube said the team has received tremendous
support from the school principal and the teachers, who have agreed that they
need more time to prepare for the tournament. “Just getting to the Provincial
finals has made a difference to the boys in terms of confidence and
motivation.”
There are two players in the team that Dube believes are going
to play a key role for them. Teboho Mokalapa and Edward Mathebe, both
midfielders are the fastest boys in the team. “We are going to need them to win
and run with ball, and to supply the strikers.”
TC Maenetja is coach of Thapola A Nkona Primary School. He said the players are excited about going to the finals.
“They talk as if they have already won; which just shows the level of
commitment that they have,” he said. “I try to instil in their minds that they
should never underestimate their opponents. I always tell them that whenever
they play, they must give 110% because someone might be watching and they could
potentially be chosen to play for one the PSL development teams or a sports
academy. That truly motivates them to excel.”
Coach Isaac Makgakga of Pula Madibogo Primary School said the school has been participating in the competition since
it began and this is their first Provincial Final experience. “I’m happy that I
am the coach that made it possible for them to get this far in the competition
this year. The boys are very happy about making it to the provincials. This win
has boosted their self-confidence as a team, now they see that working hard at
something will reward you with good results.”
Participating schools
Sekhukhune Region -Bantoane Primary School
Mopani Region- Thapola A Nkona Primary School
Vhembe Region- Benny’s Sports Development Academy
Capricorn Region- Pula Madibogo Primary School
Waterberg Region – Mphaka Primary School
