Mzuvukile on a winning streak
“Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.” –
Swami Sivananda
IT WAS a successful weekend for Mzuvukile Primary School of Nseleni township outside Richards Bay.
The school’s under-12 soccer team won the Danone Nations Cup Kwazulu-natal provincial final for the second successive year and three of the boys who were competing on the day were immediately signed up by Mamelodi Sundowns. They will join the club’s Youth Academy and attend high school in Gauteng next year.
Thirteen schools competed in the Danone Nations Cup KZN provincial finals at the Sugar Ray Xulu stadium in Pinetown last weekend.
Teams in four pools played a round robin; the winners progressed to the semi-finals. It ended with Mzuvukile meeting Georgedale Full Service School from Hammarsdale.
The final saw a fine display of soccer with both teams rising to the challenge and showing a strong will to win. Credit must go to the Georgedale goalkeeper who saved more than 12 shots at goal to keep the score down.
Mzuvukile Primary played an attractive attacking brand of football. Their passing was short and accurate and the team worked well together.
Although they dominated territory and possession throughout, it was Georgedale who took the lead when Surprise Mnguni scored against the run of play.
It was short-lived because within seconds of the restart, Mzuvukile talisman Khethokuhle Nkosi equalised and from there there was shot after shot from the Mzuvukile strikers with Georgedale trying to take advantage of the odd counter-attack.
In the end, Mzuvukile were too good for their Pinetown opponents. Mvelase Siphokophelo scored a second goal for them, making the final score 2-1 and putting them into the nationals again.
Exuberant team manager Tami Shezi said they would devise a training schedule for the build-up to the national finals based on what they learnt last year.
“We have been there before and we noted that the boys were overwhelmed by the big occasion,” Shezi said.
“They had never played before such a large crowd and they made a lot of silly mistakes. We have only one boy from last year back in the team and we will make sure the team is well prepared psychologically.
“Rather than get nervous, they must go on to the field to have fun and treat every game as a new learning experience. That will help them become better players.”
Mzuvukile has been competing in the tournament for the past 12 years.
Last year, the school brought in an external coach, Jimmy Mkhoba.
“He has proved to be the catalyst for change. He has such a passion for the game that he trains the kids after school as well,” Shezi said.
“This is an impressionable age and rather than allow the youth to get caught up in bad influences, we need to keep them active on the soccer field, so Jimmy coaches in the afternoons as well. Every player in the team attends extra training and that has resulted in us having an advantage.”
Neither Shezi nor Mkhoba have formal coaching qualifications, but both have played the game and are avid soccer followers. They believe experience plays a major part in their success.
“We have an excellent team this year and we were very excited when the Mamelodi Sundowns scout, Mandla Mazibuko, approached us to offer three of our boys the opportunity to join their academy next year,” Shezi said.
“This is an opportunity that will change their lives for ever. We will follow their progress and it will be rewarding to one day be able to say that we played a part in their success.”
The team will join the other eight provincial champions in Gauteng on June 15 to compete in the national finals where the school that will represent South Africa at the world finals will emerge.
Last year and this year’s champions will travel together to Spain to celebrate Danone’s centenary and the 20th edition of the Danone Nations Cup .
There will be 20 teams competing in the world finals and they will all play their final match of the tournament at the RCDE Stadium (home of La Liga club Espanyol) in Barcelona on October 12.