The Vhembe-based Benny's Care Academy will represent Limpopo in the finals of the richest schools football competition, the U/12 Danone Cup football tournament. They beat Sekakate Primary 1-0 from Sekhukhune in the final match that was played in Polokwane last Thursday.
The national finals will be played at the WJ Clements Stadium in Reiger Park, Boksburg, on Saturday, 25 June. The finalists came through tough local, regional and provincial elimination stages and are now playing for the big prize: the chance to represent South Africa at the Danone Nations Cup World Finals in France in October.
Danone and their sponsorship partners, Mille, have laid on quite a day, with plenty of fun activities on the adjacent fields to entertain the public, and free NutriDay yoghurt, Yogi Sip, Mayo and Ultra Mel will be available for everyone who attends.
The coach of Benny's, Mr Mbishi Mokwena, said the competition was about pride and honour. "This is the second consecutive year that we have made it to the national finals. We are proud of this and want to keep the tradition going. We want to be the first team in Limpopo to win the tournament," he added.
According to him, the coaching of the boys has brought nothing but joy to his heart "as they have grown in confidence each year". Mokwena expressed his joy with the school's performances this year. He added that their preparations were well underway "and my boys are looking forward to this challenge".
He warned his team, however, that they must score more goals if they wish to progress further. "I can see them getting more and more confident as the days progress," he added.