The search for South Africa’s young football heroes kicks off in Tembisa on Tuesday afternoon with about 150 schoolchildren taking part in a one-day coaching clinic at the Reagile Primary School in Winnie Mandela Park.
The clinic, which takes place at 3pm, will be conducted by Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune and former Chiefs striker Shaun Bartlett, who were both unveiled as the brand ambassadors of the Samsung NextHero campaign, which was officially launched in Johannesburg last month.
The children, aged between five and 14 and including both boys and girls who have enrolled with Play Soccer South Africa, will attend the first coaching clinic. Other coaching clinics will be conducted around Gauteng later in the year.
Samsung has partnered with Play Soccer South Africa — a non-profit organisation that aims to educate and empower disadvantaged youth through the passion and unity of football, and for whom they will generate funds for the selection and training of tomorrow’s heroes.
Play Soccer South Africa will bring together children from Gauteng to one of seven sites weekly, where they will learn life philosophies, the concept of teamwork, fair play, leadership, equality and how to resolve conflict peacefully among their families and peers.
Sibulele Sibaca, the programme director for Play Soccer South Africa, says local children associate positive emotion and pride with the game of football.
”Not only do these children have the opportunity to be part of a positive learning experience, they make new friends and develop an understanding of and a niche for themselves.”
Samsung has been hard at work since the beginning of September, encouraging South Africans to purchase the Samsung J700 phone. For every phone purchased, Samsung will donate a portion to Play Soccer South Africa.
The money raised will also be used to build two new Samsung NextHero branded sites around Gauteng, along with sports facilities, which will accommodate about 1 300 children.
Samsung has also initiated an in-store competition where J700 buyers stand the chance to win a trip to London to see football hero Didier Drogba of English Premiership side Chelsea in action against arch-rivals Arsenal on November 30.
Daniel Lamberti of Samsung Electronics says of South Africa’s football heroes: ”They can and often do come from the most humble backgrounds to take on the toughest international players watched by millions of spectators and inspiring generations of future heroes.”