Congratulations to Gauteng based Marelise Lombard and Gugu Ndulama from the Eastern Cape as the winners of the 2018/19 KFC Mini-Cricket Coach and Coordinator of the Year, respectively.
Potchefstroom born teacher and coach, Marelise Lombard is awarded the KFC Mini-Cricket Coach of the Year accolade for her passion, energy and consistent dedication to the development of kids.
As a master of many sporting codes in the foundation phase, Marelise mentions coaching mini-cricket being one of her favourite roles in her career. Marelise started coaching KFC Mini-Cricket at Laerskool Rapportryer in Randfontein and then moved to Laerskool Dr. Havinga, where she also went on to become the KFC Mini-Cricket Coordinator at the school.
"The award means a lot to me. Is shows that people have seen my passion for the children, the game and my dreams of allowing kids to enjoy themselves through the game of KFC Mini-Cricket. I love the opportunity that KFC Mini-Cricket and Cricket South Africa have afforded me to do what I do best and that is bring joy to the kids." says Marelise.
Furthermore, Lombard has since been involved in coaching and coordinating the programme in Central West Gauteng where her key focus is also assisting KFC Mini-Cricket kids transition into hardball cricket.
Self-driven, Gugu Ndulama is this year's award-winning KFC Mini-Cricket Coordinator of the Year. Well known for her efficient administrative skills and her well organised festivals, Gugu has worked hard since her early days of working for the Eastern Province Cricket Board, finance department.
Her financial background has allowed her to effectively manage and make a difference in maximising the KFC Mini-Cricket programme for her community. When all had fallen into place from a financial perspective for her region, Gugu has continued to work hard to grow the programme holistically.
Gugu said "It means a great deal for me to win this award. It was totally unexpected, and it just shows that hard work does pay off. I would like to thank the coaches and coordinators in my region that do their jobs so well that they allow us to focus on what I need to do to grow the game. I would encourage other coordinators to love what they do, keep the passion alive."
With a strong ambition to succeed and inspire others, Gugu believes that her greatest attribute is her patience and her strong focus to making an even bigger impact on KFC Mini-Cricket programme across the country.
"At KFC we believe the secret recipe for success lies in nurturing South Africa's great talents and building lasting partnerships that make this programme possible. 2019 marks a remarkable 10-year partnership milestone and we are excited to celebrate the 2018/19 KFC Mini-Cricket Coach and Coordinator of the Year winners. Marelise and Gugu are true examples that sheer hard work and determination drives positive change and impact in local communities. We also thank our many volunteers who continue to be the heart of the programme, making it a success in every corner of the country. Through our partnership with Cricket South Africa, the KFC Mini-Cricket programme will continue to thrive, uplift communities, nurture and produce tomorrow's heroes and supporters of South African cricket." said Dhruv Kaul Chief Marketing Officer at KFC.
The KFC Mini-Cricket programme is the largest national grassroots development programme in South Africa and offers kids with the critical building blocks for learning cricketing basics and entrenching a love for the game. The programme allows volunteer coaches at schools to offer a cricket sporting programme, even with basic fields and facilities.