The
first steps on the road to London will be taken by one fortunate primary school
football team as the Cluster level matches in the under-12 Danone Nations Cup
tournament kick off.
The
team to emerge as the winner at the end of what will be a six month process
will represent South Africa at the Danone Nations Cup World Finals in London
later in the yearand get to play before French ex national player, Zinadine
Zidane.
The
winners of the Cluster competitions go on to compete in the Regional finals,
and those winners then play in the Provincial finals, culminating in the nine
provincial winners playing in the National finals to determine the school that
will represent South Africa at the World Finals.
The
Beaufort West Cluster competition got underway at the Rustdene Stadium last
weekend and will continue over the next couple of weeks.
Some
of the schools that will be in action will include: AH Barnard Primary School,
Teske Memorial Primary School, Restvale
Met Primary School, HM Dlikidla Primary
School, Beaufort-West Primary School, St
Mathew’s Primary School, Destiny Academy, Niko Brummer Primary School, John D
Crawford Primary School and Murraysburg Primary School.
Andrew
Louw, coach of AH Barnard Primary School, the reigning regional and provincial
champions, believes his boys are mentally and physically ready to defend their
title.
The
school, located in Beaufort West Township, first participated in the tournament
in 2002 and have reached the National Finals twice, in 2009 and 2012. Louw has
a Level 1and 2, SAFA Grassroots and SAFA Football Introductory certificates. He
also coaches a local amateur team, Rustville United. Seven players from the
school team are in that side too. He is the school’s sports coordinator and
also coaches the rugby team.
He
says he is really looking forward to the 2013 Danone Nations Cup
tournament.“This is an important tournament in our school calendar,” he said.
“Last year we worked very hard and I am very happy that the hard work put in by
the players eventually paid off. The same is expected from this year’s players.
“
The
team trains every day and Louw says they are fortunate to have training
equipment so there is no excuse not to take part.
“Reaching
the National finals is always a big achievement for me,” Louw said. “I always
make sure that we participate in the tournament, not to put pressure on the
boys to win but for them to enjoy it, to have the experience and meet with
other boys their age. However, the tournament is about believing in their
dreams and if they can win the National title that would be a dream come true
for them.
“The
World Finals are the ultimate goal of this tournament and every school would
love to represent South Africa at that international level. It takes hard work,
discipline and determination to achieve that. I am confident my boys can do
it”.
Lowellen
Appies, coach of Teske Memorial Primary School, situated in the heart of the
Central Karoo, in Beaufort-West, says that, although the school has not reached
the Provincial finals before, he is confident that they can do better this
year.
The
school was established in 1953, so it celebrates its 60th anniversary this year
and Appies would like the under-12 team to celebrate this with a bigger
achievement.
“Our
aim is to proceed to the Western Cape Finals and represent the province in the
National Finals in June,” Appies said. “We have been training three times a
week in preparation for the cluster games. I had to replace seven players from
last year’s team, so hopefully the remaining four will help me motivate the
team.
“If
Teske qualifies for the Danone Cup World Finals it would be a wonderful
opportunity for the players, the school, Central Karoo, Western Cape and the
country. This would open a door for our players to be seen by the world and by
professional football clubs. It would be an example of how sport can change lives. At Teske Memorial Primary we believe that
football is not just to kick a ball around but we teach norms and values
through football. What a privilege it would be if my team could proceed to the
finals.”
Teske
sees his captain,Joze Van Rheenen as a key player. He was part of the team last
year and is a much disciplined player and a good attacking midfielder.
Bentley
Wyn, a striker, was also part of last year’s team. His pace and an eye for
goals make him exceptional and he will also be a key player for the team this
year.
