With the 2010 FIFA World Cup a mere four months away, the country’s preparations for the international event have entered an exciting and festive phase. Alongside the frenetic activity across the nation to put all the final touches in place for the massive soccer frenetic, school children country wide have started their own football “world cup” tournament that is modelled on the FIFA event.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the Department of Sport and Recreation has partnered with the Department of Education, the eThekwini municipality and the South African Football Association (SAFA) will stage the KwaZulu-Natal 2010 provincial football festival, which is scheduled to take place from Friday, 26 to Sunday, 28 February 2010 in Durban.
The KwaZulu-Natal event will also include a provincial under 19 tournament that will run at the same time. This schools football festival is part of the My 2010 School Adventure programme. It is similar to the programme that was undertaken during the hosting of the 2009 Confederations Cup, and aims to prepare young people for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, not only through their active participation in the sport, but also by developing understanding of the diverse world we live in.
“The initiative was also aimed at luring school children away from the streets and inappropriate habits, and encouraging them to engage in healthy lifestyles,” explains the MEC for Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation, Mrs Weziwe Thusi.
Targeting primary and secondary level learners between the ages of 14 and 18, the initiative also mobilises and increases awareness among these young footballers (boys and girls), educators and the broader school community of the importance of hosting the world cup.
To this end, the soccer festival coincides with similar events taking place in provinces across the country, and will culminate in the national schools world cup finals in May. The competition is modelled on the format of the actual 2010 FIFA World Cup, with schools competing in different streams in their areas, followed by the knock-outs.
Preliminary school games have just started at local level, and will have progressed to district level in time for the provincial finals. During the 26 to 28 February provincial games, each district will be represented by two primary and two secondary school teams (both girls and boys footballers). The four top teams will then represent KwaZulu-Natal at the national Schools Football World Cup competition in May.
At that event, the teams will cease to compete under their school banners and assume the identities of four nations, namely: Paraguay, Cameroon, Algeria and Greece. They will be flying the national flags of those countries, singing their national anthems and engaging in activities such as preparing the national foods of the country they represent.
Contact person:
Bheki Mncube
Tel: 031 360 6377 or 6349
Cell: 082 575 4164
Issued by: Department of Sport and Recreation, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
5 February 2010
Source: Department of Sport and Recreation, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
(http://www.kzndsr.gov.za/)
