THEY didn’t have a sports field in their school, nor did they have the kit to play with. All of them come from poor family backgrounds and the school in the local community was declared by a no fee school by the government. Yet despite all the odds stacked against them; this dedicated team of young boys is now representing South Africa at the DANONE under 12 soccer World Cup in Pretoria.
The DANAONE Nations Cup was established 11 years ago. It was a vision from the current chief executive Franck Riboud; who believed in developing children through sports and creating values for children from across the different cultures. He thought a mini World Cup would be a sufficient platform for children to learn more about themselves and other cultural backgrounds. After its inception in 1999 the tournament grew and today 40 countries participate and the young players get the opportunity to meet soccer heroes such as Zinandine Zidane and Neil Tovey.
Sinenzuzo Primary is located in Hammersdale outside Durban in a remote village called Mlaba Village. The people of the village are friendly but the are is represents the social dynamics that one has been accustomed to in South Africa.
The road to qualifying for the Nations Cup is long and rigorous which requires a high degree of discipline and hard work. Makhotso Fako, the brand manager of DANONE South Africa says the boys had to compete with other schools in Durban and around KwaZulu-Natal. After winning their provincial tournaments the boys proceeded to compete with teams from other provinces where they won and are now representing the country.
Fako paid a visit to the school congratulate the young players and along with the DANONE Southern Africa team and former Bafana Bafana captain Neil Tovey, established a food garden for the school and the community. She says they decided to visit after they won and saw an opportunity to give back to give back to the disadvantaged community.
“We visited their homes and after we saw their living conditions we decided to go the extra mile and ensure that its more than just a soccer tournament but an initiative to improve the lives of talented children.”
Bafana Bafana legend and Northwood old boy, Neil Tovey attended the launch of the food garden as a DANONE Nations cup ambassador and role model. According to Tovey, the food garden is there to help the boys prepare for the tournament. He says they still have lots work to do in the build up to the games in Gauteng.
“We want to inspire them and assist as much as we can in tournament. We want to give them a sense of pride and the idea behind the food garden is that if we taught them how to do it themselves then they would have a sense of achievement.”
Tovey says the boys learned how to prepare a garden bed and learned about controlling the soil and how to irrigate it properly.
“The preparation of the garden is like preparing for football, they know how to nurture it and guard it which will assist them in maintaining it.”
The principle of the school, Phumelele Nxele couldn’t conceal her joy at the boys achievement.
“I feel very great, words cannot express how I feel; I’m very proud of them.”
Nxele further explains how the boys had no soccer ground to practice on and had to walk seven kilometers everyday to practice on another schools grounds.
“Our school is one of the poorest schools in the province. We have also be defined as a no fee paying school because of the conditions our community live under. Just take a look around you, at least with this achievement we can bring hope to parents and children.”
She says the behavior of the boys has changed and soccer has made them more confident and disciplined. She says the other children in the school look up to them.
Ayanda Mkhize, who coaches the boys believes they have the potential to go all the way in the tournament. He says the biggest challenge with coaching such a young team is that you always have to understand their issues. The only way to get them to play their best is if they enjoy every moment on the field.
“You always have to encourage them and laugh and play with them. They have to enjoy the hard work which is quite challenging especially when it comes to fitness training. I took them to the beach on a daily basis so they could run on the sand but after that there was an incentive where we would play games and swim at the sea. The trick is to always practice playing soccer and have as much fun as possible.”
He added that the biggest motivating factor was when they met French football legend Zinedine Zidane.
“He motivated them and they had an opportunity to ask him questions about how to manage pressure and how to handle being a star.”
Mkhize says he hopes to see the boys become professional soccer players one day and that the tournament will be platform towards a brighter future.
Eleven year old Sanele Mkhize is the center midfielder, star player and captain of the team and is grateful for the opportunity. The young player supports Orlando Pirates and he hopes to wear the black and white number 10 jersey one day.
“My favorite player is Andile Jali, I like the way the ball sticks to his feet like glue on the soccer pitch. I think we will do well in Johannesburg because we listen to each other and respect each other. We have team spirit and it doesn’t matter whether we win or lose. We just want to play,” said Mkhize.
These young boys have done us proud, they are a true example of how hard work, dedication and a bit of luck can make a difference in our lives. This school is in the outskirts of KZN in a poverty stricken community. They defeated the privileged and the so called best to be where they are today. They had no league to compete in, didn’t play in any prestigious club and none of them were invited for Natal or Durban district trials; but look at where they are today.
The opening game kicks of on the 23rd of September and the final will be held on the 3rd of October at the Orlando Stadium.
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