KwaZulu-Natal Coastal and Cricket South Africa (CSA) in partnership with KFC, continue their celebrations of the 40th year of the KFC Mini-Cricket programme by hosting the KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Mini-Cricket Provincial Seminar at Hollywood Bets Kingsmead.
The celebrations started with the KFC Mini-Cricket National Seminar at Sun City, closely followed by the KFC Mini-Cricket Mega Festival that was hosted simultaneously in 14 of the 16 Cricket South Africa’s affiliates, and now continued with a road trip around the country where all 16 of the Cricket South Africa’s affiliates will host their own KFC Mini-Cricket Seminar for the volunteer coaches and coordinators – the heartbeat of the grassroots programme. The theme of the seminars is to “Make volunteering your identity, make volunteering attractive,” which plays homage to the contribution made by volunteers in the Mini-Cricket set-up over the years and chimes a clarion call to make volunteerism a way of life. The aim of the season is to level the playing field by allowing children from all backgrounds to compete at an equal level by providing all children from the ages of 4-10 (boys) and from 4-12 (girls) with the tools to get into cricket and enjoy the benefits of the sport.
The coaches got encouraging messages from Proteas player, Kesav Maharaj, and Hollywood Bets Dolphins players, Chloe Tryon and Nondu Shangase. To take the programme further, coaches are encouraged to uplift their local communities and use KFC Mini-Cricket as a platform to change the lives of South Africa’s youth. Joseph Nqasa and Terry Thulo, who won awards at the recent Cricket South Africa awards ceremony for their contributions to their communities, are role models for all other coaches and coordinators to follow.
“KFC has seen 14 seasons of true partnership with CSA and continues to be committed to this platform that unlocks kids’ potential by giving them equal opportunities and level playing fields while taking sports development to every corner of the country. Through this partnership, the youth are able to be their best selves on the field which inspires their aspirations off of it too,” said Andra Ferreira Nel, KFC marketing manager. KFC’s partnership in cricket provides an opportunity to create experiences that enrich the future stars of tomorrow. Through strong partnerships, sport continues to be an enabler for change, a nation builder and offers an opportunity for society to see real change. Children are encouraged to come as they are, build new lasting friendships and be the best version of themselves – on and off the pitch.
“We love that in partnership with Cricket South Africa we can continue spreading the social impact of KFC Mini-Cricket throughout South Africa, for this generation and those to come,” said Nel. This year, the programme celebrates 40 years which translates into many years of unearthing some of the best talent in cricket and creating real sports fans of the game. For more information on the KFC Mini-Cricket programme, visit https://order.kfc.co.za/minicricket/minicrickethome
