Schools’ Soccer World Cup kicks off
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. School children countrywide have started their own World Cup tournament that is modelled on the FIFA event. In KZN, the Department of Sport and Recreation has partnered with the Department of Education, the Ethekwini Municipality and SAFA to stage the KZN 2010 Provincial Football Festival, taking place from Friday 26 - Sunday 28 February in Durban. The KZN event will also include a provincial U19 tournament that will run at the same time. This schools’ festival is part of the My 2010 School Adventure programme. It is similar to the programme that was undertaken during the hosting of the Confederations Cup, and aims to prepare young people for the Fifa World Cup.
Awareness
Targeting Primary and Secondary level pupils between the ages of 14-18, the initiative also mobilises and increases awareness among these young footballers (boys and girls), teachers and the broader school community of the importance of hosting a 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 modeled on the format of the actual 2010 Football World Cup, with schools competing in different streams in their areas, followed by the knock-outs.
Progressed
Preliminary school games have just started at local level, and will have progressed to district level in time for the provincial finals.
In the 26-28 February provincial games, each district will be represented by two primary and two secondary school teams (both girls and boys).
The four top teams will then represent KZN 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 - 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.
