Cape Town - Could we see more cricket stars from Turfhall Primary School follow in the footsteps of current Proteas Under-19 women's player and former KFC Mini-Cricket graduate Jemma Botha?
Cricket South Africa (CSA) visited her former school to celebrate International Women's Day yesterday.
Although she could not be in attendance due to commitments with the national women's U19 team, pupils still got the opportunity to interact with their favourite Proteas players such as Lara Goodall. She shared her knowledge with pupils and inspired them to dream big and never give up.
Ahead of the event, Jemma said she felt honoured that her former primary school had the opportunity to learn about the KFC Mini-Cricket programme and that pupils could see themselves in the same position that she is in.
“The KFC Mini-Cricket programme was instrumental in solidifying my adoration and enthusiasm for cricket.
“We appreciate brands like KFC who collaborate with organisations like CSA to prioritise the development of skills at the grass-roots level, especially for the girls.”
Turfhall Primary School's principal, Lynette Kube, said the KFC Mini-Cricket programme provides an opportunity for their pupils to engage in sport and be involved in physical activity, providing them with the necessary ball skills.
“It also allows our children to enjoy the outdoors, form friendships and understand the importance of being involved in a sport.
“Our coaches and teachers are empowered. Like other sports, mini-cricket teaches teamwork, patience, and fair play. It builds confidence and of course improves fitness levels.”
Kube said it is great to be part of a programme which highlights women in sport.
Mass participation manager for CSA, Buhle Vaphi, said celebrating International Women's Day is important because mini-cricket is inclusive and their core values is to take cricket to every corner of South Africa.
“We have seen the growth of girl's and women's cricket all thanks to programmes like this (KFC Mini-Cricket programme). It is a direct feeder to the pipeline of Cricket South Africa,” she said.