Photo Credit: Cricket South Africa
KFC Mini-Cricket will wrap up the 2022 / 23 season and it’s 40th anniversary with an exciting festival back at the first home of the hugely successfully development cricket programme in Soweto on Saturday, 22 April.
Since its first introduction in Soweto in 1982, the KFC Mini-Cricket programme has provided a productive entry into the basics of batting, bowling, and fielding in an enthusiastic six-a-side format, while also nurturing a host of volunteer coaches and administrators.
Over the last 40 years, Mini-Cricket has also produced a host of Proteas, SA U19 and domestic cricketers, with the annual participation exponentially growing to over 126, 000 players, 13, 000 coaches and more than 6, 000 schools.
Themed ‘Back to our Roots”, the celebration will pay homage to Soweto, where the programme started. It will also acknowledge the impact it has had in communities; producing outstanding citizens who are today proud to have been moulded by the discipline espoused by the programme.
More than 400 boys and girls between the ages of 6 – 13 years old will simultaneously take part in multiple fun-filled Mini-Cricket matches at the Elkah Stadium, which also houses the Soweto Cricket Club (CC) in the heart of south-west township in Johannesburg.
The schools taking part in the festival will include Soweto’s Thabang Primary, St Angelas Primary and Lodirile Primary as well as Samuel Mangala Primary, Senyamo Primary and Dr Mary Malahlela Primary School.
The Mini-Cricket kids will be joined by legendary figures of the game who have played an integral role on and off the field, including former player and Easterns head coach Geoffrey Toyana, former cricketer and administrator, Anton Ferreira, and Soweto CC and Central Gauteng Lions favourite Johnson Mafa, amongst others.
Proteas Men and Women players along with Cricket South Africa (CSA) staff and executives will also be present during the day’s cricket extravaganza before the festival ends with a trip to the famous Vilakazi Street.
CSA Chief Executive, Pholetsi Moseki commented:
“KFC Mini-Cricket forms part of CSA’s core vision of providing access into the sport of cricket for South Africans from all walks of life, standing the test of time over the last four decades to become the longest-running sports development programmes on the continent.
“In an exceptional 40-year anniversary season that saw the programme’s records broken during a mega festival at the start of the season and the objective of playing 70, 000 matches throughout the season, the campaign is aptly culminating with a close-out event at the initiative’s native home in Soweto.
“On behalf of the countless players, coaches and administrators who bore the fruits of the Mini-Cricket programme and have gone onto reach great heights within the game and in life, I would like to congratulate everyone involved on a remarkable 40 years and may the future hold great success,” he added.
The festival will be streamed live on the CSA YouTube channel.
Name of Author: Cricket South Africa
Cricket South Africa (CSA) governs cricket in South Africa. Formed in 2002, it succeeded the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB) and became the sole governing body in 2008. CSA oversees all levels of cricket, including national teams for men and women, and is a full ICC member and SASCOC affiliate.
