 |
Mozambique: the last team to qualify for the World Final!
September 1st, 2010 |
On the weekend of the 21st of August, 10 teams met up to play out the national final in Mozambique.
In the end, it was Team Kurhula from Maputo province that emerged as Mozambique champions, and in late September they will make their way to Johannesburg for the World Final, to join the other 39 teams from all around the World.
|
Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg: the location of the World Final!
August 27th, 2010 |
On the 3rd of October, 1120 children will be brought together to play out the World Final of the DNC, in Orlando Stadium, for both the 2009 and the 2010 edition… but what else do we know about this stadium?
Orlando stadium is a multi-sport complex in Soweto, one of Johannesburg’s suburbs. It was built in 1959, and today has a whopping 40,000 capacity following a renovation in 2008. The stadium is home to the Premier Soccer League side “Orlando Pirates FC”.
The stadium was chosen as the venue for the FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration Concert on 10 June 2010, where famous artists such as Shakira, the Black Eyed Peas and Alicia Keys performed. The stadium was also used by national Football teams training for the event itself.
On October 3rd, 1120 kids have the chance to play in front of thousands of spectators, just like the professionals!
|
Danone and Berbatov helping kids being “Active and Healthy” in Bulgaria
August 24th, 2010 |
In October 2009, Danone in Bulgaria organised a promotion whereby for 2 months “2% of the price of its products would be donated to the Active & Healthy scheme”. This scheme was launched between Danone Bulgaria and Dimitar Berbatov’s Foundation – the Berbatov Foundation.
The “Active & Healthy” scheme was launched because of the growing issue of obesity amongst children. In Bulgaria, 1 in 5 children are overweight and the number of obese children is increasing. The main reasons behind this are because children eat unhealthily and they don’t do enough exercise – a recurring problem around the world. So, to combat this, Danone and the Berbatov Foundation created a fund to encourage more sports in schools, renovate existing playgrounds, and build new sports equipment for schools.
The Manchester United star Dimitar Berbatov was obviously heavily involved in the campaign, as he featured in TV adverts encouraging people to contribute to the fund. Following the promotion, 9 sports projects from all over the country have been identified for either renovation or new development.
All of these projects, which involve building new sports gyms for example, will be completed in September or October this year!
|
Esteban looks back on a unique adventure
August 20th, 2010 |
In 2007, a young Esteban González played with team “La Máquina” in the Uruguay national final. He and his team had a lot of fun during the competition and even won the national final, therefore qualifying themselves for the 2007 World Final in Lyon, France.
This year, during the national final of the Uruguay competition, Esteban returned to the DNC to watch the competition unfold. He wanted to share his experience with us, to explain how what he felt about the DNC World Final 3 years ago…
“It was tremendous when I realized that we had won and I would be going to France” he says. “I don’t get tired of saying: “it was an unforgettable experience”.
I really enjoyed my family’s emotions and my first trip by plane (although I was nervous). When I arrived in France I liked everything. At the Opening Ceremony I found a book with the name of many countries and with their different languages in it. It allowed me to make many friends from Indonesia and other countries!
The hotel where we stayed was enormous and in it there were players from different countries. The food was really good, but the best thing was the “Tour Eiffel”, it’s so impressive. Finally we went to the Uruguayan embassy and after we travelled by train to Paris to return to Uruguay.
I love that the Danone Nations Cup is every year since it is a way for all children to have their dream come true - “to be in a world cup” and travel to another country. In my case I have been to all Danone Nations Cup editions since to see them play and to share the emotions.”
Esteban González – Danone Nations Cup 2007 player – Uruguay
|
Last chance to join the next “Never-Ending Pass” video
August 17th, 2010 |
Here’s just a reminder that the second video of the “Never-Ending Pass” will be ready for the World Final in Johannesburg: and ANYONE CAN STILL JOIN IN the famous pass with Zidane. You don’t have to have played in the DNC, you don’t have to even like football… you just need a football and a camera to take part!
Just click on the “Upload your Pass” button on this page to find out how, and by following the simple steps, you could find yourself in the DNC video with the footballing legend.
Remember, you need to get your video to us by the 20th of September at the latest, so hurry up and film it, and come join the other kids who are already taking part!!
|
Danone’s Sports Schools in Spain
August 13th, 2010 |
The Danone Sports Schools project is part of a non-governmental, non-profit organisation called “Sporting Association for better childhood”, whose President is Rafael Jofresa Prats, a former Basketball player for the Spanish national side.
In 2004, 4 Danone Sports Schools were inaugurated in Spain, each with the ambition of promoting the importance of sporting activities for kids in their spare time, in order to change the social habits of today’s youth. These initial Schools were opened in Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and Cáceres. In the second year of the project’s campaign, another 13 Schools were opened, bringing the total up to 17 Danone Sports Schools across all of Spain’s geographical regions.
In order to motivate and inspire children as much as possible, some very exemplary sporting role models lead the projects in each of Spain’s regions. Most of the ambassadors are current sports players, or former players, such as Iniesta, Eto’o, Forlan and even the Spanish Coach “Del Bosque”.
Each School is composed of at least 50 boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 12 years old. There are 4 age categories, and all children enjoy sporting activities, such as football, and educational sessions on nutrition and how to live a healthy lifestyle. During competitions against other regions, the kids are encouraged to share moments in and around sports with kids from other regions. A lot of emphasis is placed on having fun of course.
For more information on the program, see the website: http://www.addim.org/escuelas.htm
|
Canada West will represent their country in South Africa!
August 10th, 2010 |
After 10 local soccer camps, and 4 regional soccer camps, the DNC in Canada reached its climax last weekend in Toronto as two teams played out the national final to find out who would represent their country during the World Final in Johannesburg this October. The two teams trained together for 3 days in Toronto before competing at the Lamport Stadium Final. In total, 7,500 kids had participated this year in the event, so these 2 teams of kids were clearly thrilled to have made it so far.
The two previous years Canada East had won the trophy by a slim margin, but this year, it was Canada West who just about pulled through winning 2-1 on penalties. The team was obviously delighted, and will of course join the other 39 teams later this year.
|
The Canadian team on the road to Jo’Burg
August 5th, 2010 |
One of the last DNC national tournaments will take place this Sunday at Lamport Stadium Field in Toronto, Canada.
|
Indonesia’s team is now known!
August 3rd, 2010 |
12 teams met up last week in Jakarta to dispute the national final of the Indonesia DNC. They also made the most of their visit to the capital city to visit the Danone Aqua factory and learn more about the company by meeting some employees.
Each team represented a region, and considering 37,000 children participated this year in the whole competition, the level of football was very high. With over 3000 spectators present to watch the event unfold, the two teams from the Java region eventually made it through to the final.
East Java against West Java for the right to go to South Africa to play against the rest of the world during the World Final. It was a very close match, and in the end it was Team Banteng Muda from East Java who won the contest 1-0.
Well done to them and to all other children who took part in the event.
|
Former players of the DNC, where are they now?
July 30th, 2010 |
Nora Coton-Pélagie played for France in the very first Danone Nations Cup, back in 2000. At the age of 12 years old, she played in the very first World Final in Paris. 10 years later and Nora is now a professional football player, currently playing for Paris Saint-Germain in the Female 1st Division. She also has 22 appearances for the France team at international level!
This week, in an exclusive interview, we took Nora back down memory lane to hear more about her DNC experience…
Did you enjoy the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup 2000?
“Yes I did, it was an amazing experience, especially at this age. To be in the Parc des Princes in front of all my family, on the pitch, that was a quite strong moment!”
What are your best souvenirs from the Danone Nations Cup?
“The matches with the other teams, especially with South Africa because the players were very joyful on and off the pitch. They were dancing in the grounds!”
What has the Danone Nations Cup personally brought you?
“The pride of representing my country, France.”
How was it to meet so many foreign kids of that age?
“That was really impressive! It was a big celebration, a big celebration of Football.
It was difficult to communicate with the other kids at the age of 12 but we tried still. I exchanged my jersey with a South African player and a Bulgarian player. And I still have them!”
What advice would you give to the players who will experience the World Final in South Africa?
“To play your best whilst making the most of it! Enjoy it and exchange with others because this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
At the age of 12, what was your dream?
“On a sports scale, my dream was to reach France’s National Women’s Team, and I succeeded. The DNC World Final was really helpful for the rest of my career: after having played in front of a full Parc des Princes at the age of 12, you look at other stadiums differently – you don’t feel the pressure the same way.”
We would like to wish Nora all the best with her career. It shows that with the DNC, you can really “Believe in Your Dreams”.
|
The DNC in Uruguay: once again a national cause!
July 27th, 2010 |
On June 30th 2010, the President of Uruguay, José Mujica, met with the Minister of Youth and Sports, the Minister of Social Role and the Minister of Public Health. Together, they recognised the Danone Nations Cup in Uruguay as being a “national cause”.
Uruguay was the most successful nation in this year’s World Cup in terms of size, as it finished in 4th place in spite of a population of only 3 and a half million. The country’s President also went on to recognise the global Danone Nations Cup as “the world’s reference event for children’s football”.
Such support from Ministries and Governments around the world has large impacts locally as well as nationally. In Uruguay, thanks to this scale of backing, the children making up the 2009 winning team have been granted reduced-cost Passports to allow them to go to South Africa for the World Final. The Minister of Public Health also gave the 2 delegations free vaccinations against the Yellow Fever disease – a vaccination essential for entry into South Africa.
Such actions are a large aid for the families of the children, families which in some cases would not be able to afford the cost of a Passport or other items.
|
Are you ready for the Indonesian final?
July 23rd, 2010 |
This weekend, in Jakarta, the Indonesian DNC National Final will take place.
This is the climax of one of the largest national finals around the globe, an event that has drawn 37,000 children from all over the country.
More news on this to come shortly…
|
Determination in Chile!
July 20th, 2010 |
The DNC in Chile is an expanding event, with every year more and more eager participants. This year, the tournament was once again a huge success, with 180 teams taking part in spite of the terrible earthquake that occurred in late February this year. For the majority of teams, it’s the school coach or club coach that enters the team into the competition. But for some, it’s not that easy!
Ignacio, a 12 year-old boy from Santiago, read about the competition at school, and he thought it was amazing, so he wanted to be part of it. Unfortunately for him, he was absent when the teacher registered the team, so he wasn’t included. Since there was no way to play with the school team, he decided not to lose the opportunity and decided to go about things himself!
He gathered several friends from school, and some others that he did not even know, but that also wanted to take part. He asked for parents permissions, he obtained the personal details for the registration process and even called the project leader to get more information. They trained together, from Monday to Friday for several weeks, and entered a team, coached by his father. The youngster even made the kit himself so that the players would not just play like a team, but also look like one.
They took part in the competition on the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of May, and had a great time. They may not have progressed far, but the boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves. After playing, he said that “it’s not necessary to have an adult for making things. Even if we are kids, we are able to do whatever we want and, in this case, it was really worth the effort!”. It goes to show that if you really want to do something, then you can: you just have to “Believe in Your Dreams”.
|
Looking back to the DNC in Japan!
July 16th, 2010 |
The Japanese national final took place on the 28th of March 2010, in Tokyo, and involved almost 500 players.
Team Kawasaki Frontale FC won the DNC in Japan in 2010, just like their club did in 2009 as well! Japan is one of the few teams who will be taking two football teams to South Africa, both coming from the same club.
Soon to come on our Facebook Fan Page, the video from the Japanese national final, including the two finalists!
|
The 2009 winning teams going to South Africa!
July 13th, 2010 |
Here’s a reminder of the 2009 teams qualified for the World Final in South Africa, the 2010 list will be available in August:
Alger, Algeria
Cordoba, Argentina
Sydney, Australia
SK Sturm Graz, Austria
Inter Pik, Azerbaijan
Khulna, Bangladesh
Team Belgium, Belgium
Clube Futebol Zico do Rio, Brazil
Ruse, Bulgaria
Eastern Can, Canada
Escuela Deportiva Recoleta Chacabuco, Chile
Meiyuan, China
School Luis Carlos Galan, Colombia
Sparta Praha, Czech Republic
Arab Contractors Club, Egypt
Archbishop Beck, England
Montpellier HSC, France
Lichterfelder FC Berlin, Germany
Asociación Deportiva Club Menedy, Guatemala
SSB Pengcab Semarang, Indonesia
Waterford Villa FC, Ireland
Latte Dolce ‘97 de Sassari, Italy
Kawasaki Frontale FC, Japan
Shingok Elementary School, Korea
Club América, Mexico
Tétouan, Morocco
Leiden, Netherlands
MOSP Jagiellonia Białystok, Poland
Millennium Team, Portugal
Scoala da Dinias, Romania
Vityaz Chelyabinsk, Russia
Riyadh west schools, Saudi Arabia
Ecole de Saly, Senegal
Bree Primary, South Africa
Sevilla FC, Spain
FC Basel, Switzerland
Espérance de Tunis, Tunisia
Istanbul City Team, Turkey
Lviv, Ukraine
Colonia Suiza, Uruguay
More news coming soon…
Since 2008, Javier “Pupi” Zanetti has been the national ambassador of the Danone Nations Cup in Argentina. The Argentina international has not only inspired many kids to participate and play in the country’s annual tournament, but also, through the “Pupi Fundation” he has made a big difference socially. This Foundation supports thousands of children from families with lower incomes, who are in need of better nutrition in Argentina.
The DNC and the “Pupi Foundation” collaborate on a yearly basis with the ambition of donating as many litres of dairy products to the Foundation. Every spectator present during the competition represents 1 litre donated to the Foundation, and therefore to kids in need. The national tournament consists of 2 phases, the first being 4 regional competitions, and the second a national final which in 2010 took place on Friday 11th of June, in Buenos Aires.
Throughout the whole competition, 28,000 spectators attended the Argentinean DNC. As shown in the photo, this represented 28,000 litres of dairy products donated to the Foundation – a record! In 3 years of carrying out this initiative, the collaboration has donated a total of 76,500 litres!
|
Looking back to the 2010 Moroccan National Final
July 6th, 2010 |
The Danone Nations Cup in Morocco is a national competition that draws thousands of children from all over the country. The competition includes 5 phases, the first phase taking place in schools, and the next phases leading up to the national final which in 2010 took place in Kénitra.
The final took place on the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd of April, and the atmosphere was really something thanks to a music group which opened the event. There were also 2 professional free style footballers to impress the spectators and players that gathered for the final.
The final match itself was watched by some celebrities: M. Boujemaa Benkhrif (the first international footballer for Morocco), M.Nourreddine Naybet (a former Captain of a local Club called the Atlas Lions), and M. Mohamed Gazaz (a former international referee). Of course the winning team of the Moroccan DNC is Tanger, and they are understandably thrilled to be representing Morocco at the World Final in South Africa.
|
Team Haiti: a story like no other!
June 30th, 2010 |
In 2009, the majority of Danone employees in Italy voted to support the “Danone for Haiti” project focused on fighting against malnutrition among Haitian children. The project was carried out in cooperation with the Fondazione Francesca Rava - N.P.H. Italia Onlus.
The importance of “Danone for Haiti” became even greater following the terrible natural catastrophe at the start of 2010. Danone Italy supported the initiative in several ways, one of which was the Italy DNC 2010.
This project gave a Haitian team from an orphanage, called Kay Sainte Hélène in Kenscoff, the opportunity to participate in the World Final of the DNC, representing their country. But before travelling to Jo’bourg in October, the 14 kids and their coach were offered the chance to travel to Italy for the occasion of the national DNC finals. There, they spent 2 weeks visiting the country and sharing some fantastic moments, like visits to:
· The Milanello (AC Milan’s Training Centre), where they met some of the players
· Danone’s factory in Casale Cremasco
· The Vatican and a free Papal Audience
· The Parma FC Stadium (Tardini Stadium), for a friendly match
· The Italian National Football Team training in Sestriere
During their encounter with the Italian national football team, the kids were privileged to meet the Captain of the Italian team, Fabio Cannavaro (see photo below), as well as other members of the current World Cup Champions.
At the end of these inspiring two weeks, the 14 Haiti children experienced the Italian DNC. Spectators said that the 8 teams that qualified for this final round welcomed the Haiti kids with open arms, and they managed to play a “solidarity match” against the winning team of the Italian DNC National Final, “Nuova Tor Tre Teste” who come from Rome.
The 14 children spent a great couple of weeks, and returned to Haiti to tell stories of their adventure to their friends and families. Of course, they are eagerly looking forward to the DNC World Final in South Africa, and are especially excited about playing against the rest of the world!
For more information, photos or videos on this initiative see the Danone Per Haiti Facebook Fan Page.
|
A decade of DNC in Tunisia!
June 28th, 2010 |
For the 10th anniversary of the DNC in Tunisia, the event was organised for the first time across an entire weekend. For this special edition, the participating children played on the Saturday and then stayed overnight in Tunis to play/spectate the day of the final.
“It was the most captivating DNC Tunisian final yet” claimed a spectator, “mainly because it was the first time a Primary school team was able to reach the final.” This tournament, which draws 13,000 children from all over the country, brings together school teams and club teams.
The final itself was disputed between Béni Khdech Primary School and Etoile Sportive du Sahel, and it went down to the very last second! Like previous years, it was a club that won the trophy: Team Etoile Sportive du Sahel won the contest for the first time in its history, and will travel to Johannesburg for the DNC World Final.
|
Mexico DNC final as Mexico take on Argentina
June 25th, 2010 |
The National Final of the DNC in Mexico will take place this weekend 27th of June, the same day as Mexico will play against Argentina in the last 16 round of the FIFA World Cup ©.
Get ready for more news on this final!
|
An “Espanyol” affair in Spain last weekend!
June 24th, 2010 |
There was some real young talent in Spain last weekend for the national final of the Spanish DNC. The participating children were treated to a grand opening ceremony and draw in one of “La Liga’s” most famous football clubs: “RCD Espanyol”. All the team’s who’d qualified for the final round were able to visit the club’s changing rooms, where some great footballers like Messi and Xavi (to name some) would have visited recently to play in Spain’s biggest League derbies.
The competition itself, which gathers 10 teams from all over Spain, was played on the Espanyol’s training grounds, and after a superbly played tournament, it was the home club which came through: RCD Espanyol won the national final and will represent Spain in South Africa. “Sujan” was the top scorer of the tournament.
The competition’s ambassador, Andrés Iniesta, is currently in South Africa representing Spain the FIFA World Cup © of course.
|
Team Netherlands to be represented by Amsterdam
June 22nd, 2010 |
Team Amsterdam will represent the Netherlands at the DNC World Final in South Africa this October!
The final was played out between the teams from Utrecht and Amsterdam on Saturday 12th of June, and after no goals in regular time, the tie went to extra time. It was in this period that Team Amsterdam scored a long range goal, winning the final 1-0.
Justin Bakker was awarded “Player of the tournament”, whilst the winning team’s only female player, Cherise Schelts, received the tournament’s “Top Scorer” award after scoring 5 goals during the National Final day alone.
The team’s coach, Ali Baddoua, spoke of the squad’s chances at the World Final: “I think we can play quite well in South-Africa”. Meanwhile, Danone Netherlands’ General Manager - Piet Decuypere – was more optimistic on the matter: “If this group plays as good as today during the World Final, we will become World Champions!”
You can now see the video from the Netherlands National Final on the DNC Facebook Fan Page.
|
Zanetti present for the Argentina National Final
June 18th, 2010 |
Last Friday 11th of June, at the Sporting Complex of “El Poli” in Buenos Aires, the national final of the Argentina DNC saw 4 regional champions come together to find out which team would be national champions!
The Inter Milan central defender “Pupi” Zanetti spent the afternoon watching the tournament. Having just lifted the Champions League Trophy himself, he was the right person to inspire the players to glory. In the end, in front of thousands of parents and spectators it was Belgrando de Cordoba who won the final 2 – 1 on penalties against Santa Fe.
Awards went to the best defender and the best striker of the tournament, and they had the special chance to meet Zanetti themselves. Stay tuned to get more news on this weekend’s national finals in Barcelona (Spain) and Tunis (Tunisia).
|
Zidane meets Sinuenzo School, in South Africa
June 17th, 2010 |
The Danone Nations Cup international ambassador, Zinedine Zidane, managed to make a special visit to Sinuenzo Primary School on Tuesday 15 June to meet this year’s winning team of the South African U12 competition.
Khayelihle Dladla, one of the future Bafana Bafana stars, could not conceal his excitement when meeting the football legend: “I am glad to have met Zidane. Now I know we will do well at the games (the World Final in Johannesburg, Sept 30th – Oct 03rd).”
“Zizou’s” visit was a huge boost to the team. He gave them some tips on how to win the cup: “You must enjoy and play the style of football you are used to,” said Zidane. He also advised the boys that the most important thing is that they are representing their country at such a tender age.
Over the years, South Africa has won the World Final twice – in 2003 and 2007. They are the most successful side alongside La Réunion who have clinched the title in 2001 and 2006. Remember, there are two editions this year, so this could all change dramatically! To see more photos and a video from this extraordinary visit, just check out the DNC Facebook Fan Page.
|
Cherry Orchard have done it again!
June 16th, 2010 |
Last weekend, in rainy Dublin, the Danone Nations Cup Ireland reached its final phase. According to local spectators, “the heavens literally opened” but the DJ on the day did a good job of raising the spirits in spite of the miserable weather.
The Final itself which was played between Cherry Orchard and Abbeyleix United. The final score was 1-0 to Cherry Orchard, who defended terrifically throughout the whole competition and did not concede a single goal - quite an amazing feat!
It is not the first time this club has won the Irish DNC – in 2008, Cherry Orchard actually qualified for the World Final, at the time in Paris. “The Orchard”, as it’s locally known, will live a completely different experience in Johannesburg but is sure to provide all the emotions of a DNC World Final.
Photos of the day, including all 8 participating teams, can be found on the DNC Facebook Fan Page.
|
Team Waikato strong and skilful in the land of the Kiwis!
June 15th, 2010 |
The Under 12 footballers from the Waikato Bay of Plenty region came together at Puarenga Park, Rotorua last Sunday to compete at the DANONE Nations Cup New Zealand. Teams from Rotorua, Thames Valley, Waikato, Eastern BOP, Taupo and Western BOP competed in the event.
Despite the awful weather, teams played with the energy and creativity you would expect from this age group. Rotorua and Eastern BOP played good football and were unlucky not to progress though to the final, which was contested between the classy teams of Western BOP and Waikato.
In the final Western BOP hit the lead in the first half, only for Waikato to equalise as half time approached. With the wind at there back in the second half Waikato passed the ball around really well and created a number of chances. They managed to convert one of these into a goal seven minutes before the full time whistle.
Final Score: Waikato (2) defeated WBOP A (1)
Team Waikato will now represent New Zealand at the 2010 DANONE National Cup Final in South Africa.
|
The DNC in Uruguay: a national cause
June 11th, 2010 |
The Mundialito Danone has been recognised as a national cause by the local authorities in Uruguay in 2009.
Indeed, strong educative and nutritive values are promoted throughout this 3-month football tournament.
The 4th edition of Mundialito Danone Uruguay gathered 193 teams, comprising more than 2900 participants, and 7500 parents and spectators all around the country.
The national final took place on 6th June in Charrua Stadium, the second biggest stadium in the country. The event, which was broadcasted live on national TV, saw a total of 32 teams, 480 players, 63 matches played, 134 goals scored ans more than 1700 spectators!
The winner that will wear the colours of Uruguay during the World Final of the DNC is Team Palermo I.
To see more photos of this great day in Montevideo, become a fan of the DNC Facebook Fan Page.
The upcoming national finals will take place in Argentina (11th June, Buenos Aires), in the Netherlands (12th June, den Haag) and in Ireland (13th June, Dublin).
Stay tuned on this blog for all the results.
|
Team Tangail qualified fro South Africa
June 11th, 2010 |
Last Saturday June 6th, the Grameen Danone Nations Cup took place in Bangladesh’s capital city, Dhaka.
Team Tangail, composed of 14 children from remote villages, made a memorable trip to the national final and booked their tickets to South Africa.
Tangail overpowered Jhalkathi 3-0 in the final at the Bangabandhu National Stadium with a display of skill and hard work that won the hearts of the football lovers, a final that included 2 goals from striker Shuvo Khan (tournament’s top scorer), and another from Mishu.
As the chief guest at the concluding ceremony, the Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee for Youth and Sports, Zahid Ahsan Russel, handed the Champions Trophy to Team Tangail. “The players have proved their quality and we can dream of playing a World Cup one day if we can nurture these youngsters”, said Russell.
Elsewhere in the tournament, the Fair-Play Trophy was awarded to Thakurgaon, who finished in the 4th position.
|
Former DNC player in FIFA World Cup©: “Gio” Dos Santos
June 10th, 2010 |
As you know, the FIFA World Cup 2010© begins tomorrow, Friday 11th June.
All the fans of the Danone Nations Cup should keep an eye on “Gio” dos Santos who will play for Mexico against the host team, South Africa, during the opening match.
This really is a once-in-a-life chance for the 22 year-old Mexican forward.
Back in 2001, he participated in the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup in Paris with Team Mexico and finished 5th. He was even awarded best scorer of the competition!
Then, he joined the prestigious Spanish club of FC Barcelona until 2008 and signed for Tottenham Hotspurs FC (England). He is now a player of the biggest club in Turkey : Galatasaray SK.
In 2007, he was the Spanish ambassador of the DNC and supported all the kids at the DNC World Final in Lyon.
We wish you good luck “Gio” !
|
Team Colo-Colo off to South Africa!
June 9th, 2010 |
The Danone Nations Cup in Chile really was an adventure this year !
At first, the national final was supposed to tak eplace on 23rd of May but it was postponed due to heavy rain in Santiago, very heavy rain !
All the finalist teams finally met up for the national final last Sunday 6th June in the Capital, in the presence of the local ambassador and former football player José Luis “Coto” Sierra.
The winning team from Colo-Colo will have the chance to represent Chile at the World Final of the DNC 2010 !
|
There will be German Zebras in South Africa…
June 9th, 2010 |
In Germany, the national final involves more than 600 teams from all over the country.
The national final was held on 5th and 6th June in the prestigious Commerzbank Arena of Frankfurt.
These were two days of emotions, fun and joy for kids and adults gathered around the same passion of football.
At the end, MVS Duisburg won the final against Lichterfelder FC Berlin, the winning club in 2009.
Go to the Facebook Fan Page to see the tournament’s highlights.
|
Team Niva are the Ukraine champions !
June 9th, 2010 |
There were about 500 spectators at the national phase of the DNC in Ukraine, and that’s a record!
On a very hot day in Kiev, several very competitive teams met and shared the pleasure of playing football.
By winning 1-0 against the winner of last year’s tournament, Niva qualified for the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup that will take place in October 2010. Their dreams came true…
More photos on the Facebook Fan Page !
|
Soccer stars to go to South Africa !
June 7th, 2010 |
The national tournament in the United States was held on 31st May in Orlando, in the ESPN World Wide of Sports.
On a very sunny day in Florida, 10 teams took part in a fantastic soccer day in front of around 500 spectators.
Miami Elite USA qualified for the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup 2010 following a clear-cut victory over FC Tampa Alliance Rangers (5-0) in the final.
Marcelo Landau, coach of the winning team, said ”We have a great team! It’s not just about me; it’s them (the players). I knew in the beginning that with these kids, we would represent the USA and now we hope to bring back the Danone Nations Cup in South Africa.”
To see the whole ESPN interview of the finalist teams’ coach and the highlights from the semi-finals and the final, as well as photos from the day, go now to the Danone Nations Cup Official Facebook Fan Page.
|
Children’s Day extra special in Romania & Bulgaria !
June 4th, 2010 |
The “Hagi Danone Cup” designated on June 1st, in Constanta, the winning team that will represent Romania at the World Final of the DNC 2010 in South Africa this October.
Played on the national Children’s Day, this national phase of the tournament involved 16 teams among which the 2 finalists : LPS “Aripi” (wings) Pitesti and LPS Banatul Timisoara.
By winning the final 3-1 in a triumphant manner, the victorious kids from Pitesti have been awarded with the “Hagi Danone” trophy handed over the team by the Romanian football legend, Gheorghe Hagi, the ambassador of the competition.
The first of a long series of souvenirs in the Danone Nations Cup !
In Bulgaria, the team of Plovdiv club won the national tournament last Tuesday in Sofia, also the national Children’s Day.
The famous player from Manchester Utd - Dimitar Berbatov - was there all day long and gave the award to the winning kids.
Berbatov then gave them some precious advises on how to enjoy the World Final 2010 in South Africa at the most.
Check out the highlights of the Romanian and Bulgarian finals on the Danone Nations Cup Official Page on Facebook, including Berbatov’s speech !
The Danone Nations Cup in Brazil is always a special moment in this country of football.
This year, the national final took place in very sunny Sao Paulo, last Saturday, in presence of former national team captain and winner of FIFA World Cup 1994 and 2002: Cafú.
The Fair Play prize has been awarded to Felipe, a player from Colégio Paraíso.
The kids from the carioca club Fluminense FC, winner of the national final, can’t wait to go to South Africa for the World Final of the DNC !
Involving more than 200 schools, the tournament is a real success in Belgium.
More than 150 spectators attended the national tournament in Brussels-Auderghem on 29th May and two famous ambassadors, Dennis Odoi and Dries Mertens, were there to support the kids and share good moments of fun with them.
The 2009 winning team was invited to play two mini games against each of the 2010 competition’s finalists and they won them both.
The team VBS Groenendaal de Merksem received the “Fair-Play” trophy.
To see more photos of the national final in Brazil and in Belgium, go now to the Danone Nations Cup Official Page on Facebook !
Through the initiative of Danone Italy and “Fondazione F.Rava - NPH Italia”, 14 children from Haiti and their sports teacher have been invited in Italy for the last 2 weeks.
They enjoyed this full-of-hope adventure with great excitement and a lot of emotions. They were welcomed at the Italian national tournament with open arms, speaking the universal language of sports.
Beyond football, both Haitian and Italian kids will never forget those moments of cultural exchanges. They really look forward to meeting each other again during the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup 2010 this coming October.
Regarding the Italian national final, 8 teams met last Sunday in Ligano Sabbiadoro after each winning their regional phases. Italy will be represented by last year’s finalist, Nuova Tor Tre Teste, winner of the 11th edition of the Italian DNC. They played a “solidarity final” with Team Danone Haiti before the awards ceremony.
To enjoy more photos and videos of the unforgettable event, connect now to Facebook and go to the Danone Nations Cup Official Page !
The Senegalese tournament involved 2,400 kids all over the country and has been locally organized by Danone and Diambars.
The teams from Mbour and Pikine played a very tight final in Dakar, Senegal, on 30th May.
After winning an intense penalty-kick shoot-out, Team Pikine will represent Senegal at the World Final 2010.
In Poland, the national final took place in Posani last Saturday.
The local team, Lech Poznan, played a great tournament and, by a 3-0 victory, won the right to go to South Africa for the DNC 2010 in October.
As you can see on the photo, they are really enthusiastic about it !
Other results and nice stories of the national finals coming soon…
|
Welcome to Team Czech Republic 2010!
May 28th, 2010 |
There was a great atmosphere in Prague for the national final of the Danone Nations Cup, last Wednesday.
In presence of Roman Hubnik and Daniel Zitka, both Czech DNC ambassadors and players of the Czech Republic national team, Team Slavia Praha qualified for the World Final of the DNC 2010 by winning against Banik Ostrava (see photos).
To enjoy more photos, and the prize-giving on video, go now to the Danone Nations Cup Official Page on Facebook !
Next tournaments will take place soon. Come and cheer up your team!!!
- 29th May in Sao Paulo, Brazil
- 29th May in Brussels-Auderghem, Belgium
- 29th May in Posani, Poland
- 30 May in Dakar, Senegal
- 30th May in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy
- 31st May in Riad, Saudi Arabia
- 31st May in Orlando, USA
- 1st June in Sofia, Bulgaria
- 1st June in Constanta, Romania
|
Javier Zanetti, winning ambassador in Argentina
May 25th, 2010 |
Congratulations to Javier “Pupi” Zanetti, DNC ambassador in Argentina, who won with his team for the first time the UEFA Champions League.
As captain of Internazionale Milan, he was the first to lift the trophy last Saturday in Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid.
A great reward for his 700th match with the Italian club!
Javier Zanetti is deeply-involved in the Danone Nations Cup through the Fundación Pupi. For each spectator at the national final in 2010, Danone will donate 1 litre of milk to the foundation, in order to support the social integration of poor children in Argentina.
Last year 26,000 spectators attended the final of the Argentine DNC tournament. How many will turn up for the 2010 national final in Buenos Aires, in June? To know more, visit the Argentina DNC blog.
There will be one other DNC national final in Czech Republi taking place tomorrow.
Stay tuned to hear the stories from this event!
|
The tale of the South African underdog!
May 21st, 2010 |
The tension peaked in South Africa last weekend when an unknown primary school from KwaZulu Natal dribbled their way to the top spot at the Eldorado Park Stadium, in Johannesburg. The Sinenzuzo Primary School team will now go on to represent South Africa in the World Finals in October.
In front of 7,000 spectators, some of whom were unusually tall (go to the Facebook Fan Page to see why), Sinenzuzo beat Sada Higher Primary 3-0 in the final.
To see more photos and what the winning team’s coach thought of the performance, check out the fan page here.
|
A Guinness World Record at the England Final!
May 20th, 2010 |
The England national final took place on Monday 17th of May, at Chelsea Football Club’s home – Stamford Bridge Stadium!
There, St Cuthbert’s took on Whitgift 
Independent School in front of 2000 spectators. St Cuthbert’s team played in Red and were able to defend spectacularly throughout the match, but in the end Whitgift won 1-0 with a brilliant effort from their right winger in the second half.
In the build up to the match, Guinness World Record adjudicators were on hand to judge whether 429 participants (school children, Danone employees and professional choreographers, Kayzar Dance School) successfully broke the standing World Record for the largest Robotic Dance… They did it!!
And during the half time interval, Kayzar Dance School put on an impressive dance show for the fans.
Peter Crouch summarised the event as being “all in all a very full and fruitful day”. There are lots more photos on our facebook fan page Danone Nations Cup Official Page, so log in now to see them.
|
On the road to Johannesburg !
May 19th, 2010 |
In front of 1,200 people in sunny Portugal, ‘Millenium Team’ stamped its ticket for Johannesburg in October 2010 (see photos below).
By winning 2-1 after extra time, the ‘Millenium Team’ from Freamunde became the first Portuguese team to qualify twice in a row for the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup. The school will therefore be sending 2 teams to South Africa!
Elsewhere, Atlético Clube Marinhense won the Fair Play award for their exemplary behaviour throughout the tournament.
|
New finals and a record attempt coming soon !
May 12th, 2010 |
This year the England Final will take place at the world famous, home of Chelsea Football Club, Stamford Bridge Stadium on Monday 17th May. Playing on the same pitch as some of the best footballers in the world, the kids will live a great day among schoolmates from all over the country.
The English Danone Nations Cup ambassador, Peter CROUCH, will be present, before flying to South Africa next month!
Exciting and new this year is the pre-match event called “MOVE LIKE A CHAMP” : a short healthy eating lesson followed by an attempt to break the World Record of the “biggest robotic dance” with over 500 children on the pitch!
It will even be adjudicated by Guinness World Records!!
Two other national finals will also take place this week-end:
- 16th May in Johannesburg, South Africa
- 16th May in Seixal, Portugal
Check out the blog next week to see all the photos.
|
Medal of honor for the DNC in Italy !
May 10th, 2010 |
Rewarding the success of the local tournament and its social implication, the Danone Nations Cup has been granted a medal of honor by the Italian president.
More than 3600 kids from 260 clubs all over the country participate in the 2010 tournament in Italy. The national final will take place on 30th May in presence of the football legend Ciro Ferrara.
Thanks to the collaboration between Danone Italy and Fondazione Francesca Rava - NPH Italia, a team from Haiti will be invited to both the Italian final this month and the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup 2010 in South Africa in October.
To know more about this great tribute to Openness, watch this video.
|
7 teams now known!
May 7th, 2010 |
After two days of competition and great fun in North Africa, two teams have qualified for the World Final of the Danone Nations Cup 2010:
- Ennpi Sporting Club (Egypt)
- Chlef (Algeria)
The Algerian final took place in front of more than 850 spectators including the winning delegation of the 2009 edition. Chlef defeated Annaba on a penalty-kick shoot-out and won their ticket to South Africa for the World Final of the DNC 2010.
There were many activities during the day: table football, shoot contests and face painting - it was a great DNC atmosphere (see photos below).
In Egypt, the winning team “Ennpi Sporting Club” had actually reached the national final in 2008, and were beaten. This year however, they came even more motivated, and were able to win the Egyptian final 3-0 - an inspiring story of determination.
Stay tuned for more news !
|
Never-Ending Pass is launched!
May 5th, 2010 |
Watch now Zidane and the 2009 kids playing in the Never-Ending Pass.
Would you like to participate in the next video?
Well you can! Simply click on “Upload your pass” to see how…
|
Watch the video today on Facebook
May 3rd, 2010 |
Here it is! The spirit and adventure of the Danone Nations Cup, in a compelling video.
Zidane and the 2009 winning kids have the pleasure to present to you their video.
Even you can participate in the next one !! Want to know how, well watch it on our fan page now - Danone Nations Cup Official Page.
|
World Premiere on Facebook, Monday !
April 30th, 2010 |
You’ve seen the teaser, see the real thing Monday afternoon!
Make sure you don’t miss the World Premiere of this brilliant video including Zidane and the 2009 teams on “Danone Nations Cup Official Page”!
For those who can’t wait, here’s the teaser and some photos…
|
WORLD PREMIERE with Zidane and the 2009 teams
April 27th, 2010 |
Monday 3rd May, exactly 5 months before the DNC World Final, experience a WORLD PREMIERE featuring Zinedine Zidane!
Fancy a glimpse now? Then simply connect on “Danone Nations Cup Official Page” to see the teaser. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait !
|
Zidane’s interview
April 23rd, 2010 |
Zinedine Zidane, winner of all major Football competitions, has been the international ambassador of the Danone Nations Cup for 6 years:
“The Danone Nations Cup is all about playing for the fun of the game and taking some incredible memories home with you at the end.”
“At the age of 11, you can really enjoy Football to the full. It’s just a passion.”
“I would have loved to have the opportunity to experience such an adventure at that age.”
“My message to them is: enjoy it!”
To see the whole of last year’s interview with this footballing legend, simply click here.
|
Join us on Facebook !
April 21st, 2010 |
Join our brand new Facebook fan page “Danone Nations Cup Official Page” to get all the latest DNC news, photos and videos - including a world premier coming soon.
You can also connect with other DNC fans from all over the world through discussion boards, polls and much more !
