Constable Olebogeng Ntaolang, of the Honeydew police station north-west of Johannesburg, established the soccer clinic to combat teenage delinquency in the community. He was delighted to receive the donation which included Africa Unity shirts, as well as boots, socks, shorts, goalkeeper gloves and soccer balls.

“It is fantastic to be able to support the programme which Constable Ntaolang has put in place with the youngsters of Cosmos City and surrounds. He is doing amazing work with the players who seem to be growing from strength to strength,” said Brett Bellinger, the Marketing Director of PUMA SA.

Ntaolang started the soccer clinic with little more than his enthusiasm and a commitment and quickly attracted over a hundred boys. They train twice a week at the Nooitgedacht 88 Primary School and play as the Ikage (“build yourself”) team in the Rand Central League. The long term aim is to obtain their own land to build a formal clinic which includes quality education facilities for the players.

Explaining the significance of the Africa Unity Kit donation, Bellinger said the kit is sanctioned by FIFA as the official third kit of PUMA-sponsored African teams including continental champions Egypt and World Cup qualifiers Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Algeria. “In fact the kit we have donated is the actual playing kit that these teams would have worn had they been required to use the third kit during the World Cup,” he said.

The kit features an Africa Unity badge depicting two hands locked in a solidarity handshake, and the brown colour on the shirt was created by mixing African soil samples. A percentage of the profits from the sales of the kit and related products support Puma’s Play for Life campaign which is run in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – to fund wildlife and habitat conservation in Africa.

“The PUMA Unity collection was launched earlier this year in support of UNEP and the International Year of Biodiversity, which is 2010. So with this donation, PUMA is not only providing the Ikage team with the highest level technical playing kit there is available, but also raising awareness of the importance of Conservation in 2010,” Bellinger said.

The Play for Life campaign enables fans to cast their vote on FACEBOOK.COM/PUMA for their favourite conservation project to benefit from the ‘Play for Life’ fundraising efforts. Projects include:

• Support for Elephants in Ivory Coast and Liberia
• Promoting Community Participation in Gorilla Conservation
• Forest and Biodiversity Conservation in Democratic Republic of Congo
• Rhino: Back from the Brink?
• The African Lion: King Without A Kingdom
• Wildebeest and Zebra Migration Routes: Africa’s Fractured Superhighways

Own A Piece of Limited Edition FIFA World Cup™ History

adidas Launches Exclusive eBay Auction to Raise Money for Nelson Mandela’s 46664 Charity

adidas proudly launches the adidas 46664 auction; an exclusive opportunity for football fans all over the world to own a piece of limited edition FIFA World Cup™ history and contribute to Nelson Mandela’s legacy in South Africa.

adidas will host an auction where fans can bid to own a number of unique lots, highlights include a distinctive portrait painting of England team superstar Steven Gerrard and an inspirational painting highlighting the England captain’s powerful goal; scoring within the first four minutes of the match and  roaring in delight as he runs towards the England fans to celebrate.

Other iconic paintings include the moment before South Africa kicked off the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ tournament, when the team gathered together in a huddle around Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar to create an intense and inspiring moment as they prepared themselves for the biggest game in the history of African football.

The Nike Academy offers non-contract players unattached to professional clubs a chance to enter the professional game through world-class coaching and games against elite academies and professional reserve teams. Since the academy’s start in 2009, eight players in the UK have received professional contracts.

“The Chance” marks the next stage of Nike’s “Write the Future” campaign, where some of the world’s best players including Ronaldo, Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney feature in a short film about iconic game moments where headlines are written from a single pass, or one strike can bring a nation eternal happiness, while bringing others to their knees.

Players can register for “The Chance” at nikefootball.com, where they can use digital assets to create custom campaign materials that build on the inspiration behind “Write the Future.” To support their bid, prospects can insert their image into a video that shows what their future might look like if they won “The Chance” complete with celebrity style pop culture moments.  Entrants will also create a Facebook fan page to generate awareness and campaign support to get noticed.

The best 100 players from around the world are selected by Nike through Nike Elite Training events, the Nike City Cup, happening in 32 cities, as well as exposure through the digital platform. They will then be invited to a final trial in England, where they will compete for one of eight international places in the Nike Academy. These eight will have all their expenses paid to live in the UK for a year starting in July 2011 and be a full-time member of the Nike Academy.

“Providing young players from around the world with the opportunity of elite coaching and state-of-the-art facilities to reach their full potential is a very powerful proposition,” said Arsene Wenger, Manager of Arsenal FC, in launching “The Chance” from the Nike Football Training Centre in Soweto, which provides high performance training facilities and HIV / AIDS Life Skills for the local community. “I look forward to actively participating in the scouting and review of exciting young players as they compete in “The Chance.”

As members of the Nike Academy, players become full-time participants at a residential training centre in England with access to elite coaches, nutritionists, psychologists and fitness conditioners, along with world class facilities to perform at the highest level.

“Nike is passionate about giving footballers insider access to the best coaching and training in the world to improve their game and fulfill their potential,” said Trevor Edwards, VP of Global Brand & Category Management. ‘The Chance’ is a unique opportunity for players to prove themselves on the global stage, take their game to the next level and even get a shot at a professional contract.”

“The Nike Academy has a number of success stories with players that have entered the professional game, helped by the superb environment that has been created,” said Ged Roddy, Director of Youth at the Premier League. “The Chance is a great opportunity to identify talented young players to show their skills, get noticed and win a place at the academy.”

For more information or to register for “The Chance,” visit nikefootball.com. Players can register from 6pm GMT today.

Footballer Alexandre Pato and former South African international Shaun Bartlett joined NIKE Inc., the world’s largest football company, today to celebrate the completion of the new community Football Training Center in Soweto, South Africa. The center will give 20,000 young footballers a year the chance to develop their football talent while also having access to HIV/AIDS education through football life skills programming.

“Nike has always understood the power of sport to inspire change and to make a difference in people’s lives,” said Mark Parker, NIKE, Inc., President and CEO.  “The Football Training Center will create a lasting legacy for the Soweto community and inspire the next generation of footballers by delivering premium football clinics combined with life skills programming to give young people the knowledge they need to live HIV free.”

South African government ministers were joined by community and business leaders, along with professional athletes, to support the unveiling of the Football Training Center.

“The City of Johannesburg has always said that government working alone and in isolation will not be able to effectively address the complex challenges that face our society. To succeed, we need a partnership across all spheres of government, amongst and with civil society organizations, business as well as communities,” said City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor Counsellor Amos Masondo.

“The City of Johannesburg is proud to have played a part in creating this world class Football Training Center. This facility will bring people together through community-based football programs and provide inspiration to thousands of young footballers who aspire to play for their country,” he said.

Former South African National team player Shaun Bartlett added: “The power that this football training program will have on the future footballers of South Africa can’t be underestimated. It will help players develop their game and become more disciplined on and off field. Our ultimate aim is to see kids from this program succeed at every level of the game.”

The center is part of Nike’s commitment to the communities of South Africa which dates back 15 years. It also follows Nike’s recent partnership with (RED) to leverage the power of sport to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa through the Lace Up, Save Lives campaign. When someone buys a pair of (NIKE)^RED laces, Nike contributes money to support programs that offer education and medication on the ground in Africa and that harness the power of sport to engage youth around the world in the fight against AIDS.

the facility before…

The first round of (NIKE)^RED grant recipients, receiving money from the initial six months of fundraising, were announced today at the Football Training Center. Twenty six community-based football programs, across 16 African countries will share $450,000 in grants to further their programming to educate youth on HIV/AIDS prevention through the lens of sport.

“HIV/AIDS continues to be a critical health issue in South Africa and we value the benefit that public / private partnerships bring to helping fight this disease,” said Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health South Africa. “Nike’s approach to combine football, education and medication is a powerful example of how sport can be used as a catalyst, enabling youth to make informed decisions and hopefully live a life free of HIV.”

Nike has invested in HIV/AIDS prevention programs in Africa and globally for several years, and will continue to engage with its existing community non-profit partners to use football and sport as a tool for development throughout the country.

and after…

June 6th saw the third UNICEF Soccer Aid event take place. Soccer Aid is the brainchild of Robbie Williams and Jonathan Wilkes and aims to raise funds for UNICEF UK through football matches between celebrities and football legends. Two teams compete; England vs The Rest of the World. England, lead by inspirational captain Robbie Williams, have won the event twice but failed to make it three from three as they went down in true England fashion – on penalties.

During the game – which was played at Old Trafford – viewers were shown short films with UNICEF Ambassadors detailing how the money that was raised will benefit children around the world. Soccer Aid has helped improve the lives of more than one million children since its inception in 2006.

This year’s teams consisted of many recognizable names from Hollywood to Manchester United itself. One of the most noticeable pairings was between ex -Real Madrid teammates Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane.

Read the full article here:

adidas will continue the tradition of displaying the historical matchball set at Nelson Mandela bridge this morning. The historical matchball set has all the 11 balls that adidas has produced since 1970.

We look forward to some more images of the ball set like this one from Dock Road:

Nike have unveiled its most iconic and unconventional football exhibition, on display in the Atrium of the Carlton Centre mall in central Johannesburg, to celebrate the beautiful game of football.

The focal point of the exhibition is the Nike ball-man made up from 5,500 Brasil skills balls, strung together by over 10 kilometers of cable wire, and suspended from the ceiling of the landmark Carlton Centre.  The 21 meter high installation, weighing in at 4.75 tons, is a world first for the leading football brand.

“The leaping Nike ball-man is complexity made simple.  The concept was developed from using a 3-D image of an athlete and then mathematically aligning each of the 5,500 skills balls to create this spectacle,” said Andy Walker, Global Creative Director of Football, Nike.

“The brief from the South African team 18 months ago was to create something impactful that brings Nike’s vision of inspiration and innovation to life.  We’ve delivered beyond that brief, as this exhibition which we have created, transcends into a world first for Nike in terms of scale and impact.”

Imbued in a football culture, the installation took a full three weeks to put up, and also includes the Atrium space beneath the suspended Ball-man featuring state of the art display units.

Nike has displayed its lightweight performance team kit, made of 100% recycled polyester, of every Nike sponsored team taking part in the football tournament starting next week.

The nine Nike-sponsored teams include Brasil, Holland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, United States, Australia, New Zealand and Korea Republic.

Nike’s four-silo lightweight boots from the recently launched Elite Series range are displayed as one meter, three-dimensional boots, ‘floating’ on stands to depict the lightweight innovations.

“Nike believes in connecting with its consumers on all levels and providing them with an experience that remains premium and innovative.  Not only is Nike celebrating the beautiful game with this revolutionary exhibition, but we are also energizing this epicenter of Johannesburg,” said Mzamo Masito, Brand Director, Nike South Africa.

“The design process ensured that the balls can be taken down and distributed to the community after the exhibition closes in August.  There will also be exciting elements added to the exhibition in the upcoming weeks, making this a very interactive and engaging exhibition.”

The Nike Ball-man exhibition will run until August.

All related merchandise is currently available at the Nike Store in the Carlton Centre.

Big business rallies behind a unique small enterprise with enormous dreams

To get ahead in business you need a hard head, but Alfred Baloyi has much more than that: he has a hard hat, and not just any safety helmet, but a gloriously hand-painted, sculpted hard hat known as a Makarapa.

And, if a group of South African business leaders have their way, Baloyi’s marvellous Makarapas will be the crown on the coming football festivities.

Since Baloyi made his first Makarapa 30 years ago — a matter of necessity after dodging flying bottles at a Kaizer Chiefs game in 1979 — his custom-made safety helmets have become the headgear of choice at football matches across South Africa.

For many years, Baloyi ran his accidental micro-business from a tiny workshop at his home at the Ga-Makausi informal settlement in Germiston, training others to help him, selling Makarapa at stadiums and taxi ranks and becoming a colourful legend in fan circles.

Then Baloyi’s pimped helmets were the surprise front row attraction at the Confederations Cup, gaining unprecedented coverage from an international media startled by the Makarapas’ eye-popping colours and gravity-defying designs, and the not-so-humble helmet went stratospheric.

Several renowned corporations are now rallying behind the former municipal bus cleaner, seizing the opportunity to support this genuine, original South African idea, which offers countless potential marketing and promotion applications in both the business and sporting worlds.

For a start, Baloyi Makarapa has moved into custom-fitted new premises, and the micro entrepreneurship is also being provided with the administration skills and know-how to ensure Baloyi’s original idea remains heads — and hats — above any mass-produced copycats.

Growthpoint Properties Limited — the largest South African listed property company — moved quickly to find the perfect new space for Baloyi Makarapa.

With a market capitalisation of over R23 billion Growthpoint has a quality portfolio of 435 properties in South Africa valued at R29,7 billion, and a further 24 properties in Australia through its investment in Growthpoint Properties Australia (GOZ), valued at R4,9 billion.

Still, Baloyi’s African dreams resonated with the company, and Growthpoint soon secured a suitable studio floor at an affordable, generous rental into Chadwick Place in Wynberg, Sandton, facing on to the M1 Highways and conveniently situated opposite Innisfree Park fan zone.

“The hope is that the studio will mushroom into a colourful communal upliftment hub for a diversity of entrepreneurs,” says Engelbert Binedell, Director of Growthpoint’s Industrial Portfolio, which is valued at nearly R7 billion.

“We look forward to sharing a wonderful journey that realises a truly authentic and sustainable South African arts, cultural and training centre, something that will long outlive the short term excitement of this year’s football tournament,” enthuses Binedell.

Baloyi himself is determined that his invention should create as much employment as possible and personally trains cutters, painters and artists to be part of his colourful team, but he is concerned by the copycats already outsourcing the mass production of fake Makarapas to foreign shores.

“It brings no employment, no money, no skill and no hope to the people of my country,” he says.

Karen Elson, Marketing Manager of Sandton City, agrees that local growth is the way forward, and feels the funky studio will attract tour buses, an idea already being explored.

“Tourists are increasingly eager to include the authentic South Africa in their holidays, and we are equally keen to ensure that South Africans from all walks of life benefit from the success of the economic hub of Africa, and grow along with our shopping centre,” she says. “Baloyi Makarapa factory will offer us a truly exciting, authentic tour experience for our visitors.”

Of course, the empty factory needed fitting, and into the breach stepped WBHO. WBHO has been instrumental in the construction of stadiums and it was thrilled to get behind a deserving, long-term sport-based national initiative. Being in construction, the company strongly identify with safety helmets too!

The studio is being leased by top soccer and sports promoter Grant Nicholls, CEO of Papadi Integrated Marketing CC, who has been supporting his old friend Baloyi for many years, often in his personal capacity.

“For 30 years, Alfred Baloyi has worked from his shack and from my own back garden, but his is a big, bright, beautiful vision that needs the faith and support of big business partners to grow,” says Nicholls.

Apart from ongoing financial support, Nicholls ensured the Makarapa was granted initial trademark protection and registered Baloyi’s Makarapa.com and Makarapa.co.za websites.

Meanwhile his cross-cultural knowledge has been inestimable in growing the business, and bringing the big guns on board; popular brand names as diverse as Coca-Cola, FNB and MTN have embraced the Makarapa, thanks to Nicholls’ involvement.

“As a truly South African company, we understand both the macro and micro business environments, and see in Baloyi Makarapa a wonderful opportunity to meld the two,” says Nicholls.

Baloyi is quick to mention the dedicated support of property developer and businessman Tebogo Mogashoa, who has taken on the role of non-executive Chairman of Makarapa Integrated Marketing.

Mogashoa believes the honour of being involved in this unique imitative is all his.

“We know that when the cheers have faded, Baloyi’s marvellous Makarapas will live on as a symbol of team spirit, national pride and sporting passion,” says Mogashoa. “That is why we are harnessing the strength of big business to grow Baloyi Makarapa, first during the football spectacular which this year brings, and then beyond into a proud, bright, safe and sustainable future.”

Order your original South African art today visit www.Makarapa.com