KickMag Issue 1

Discovery Soccer ParkSpring League 2018

Editorial Notes Gone are the days where the great little players have to wait for many years to start being recognised as goodEditor NotesWelcome to the first edition of our Digital and Football is commonly known as “the beautifule-mag Magazines. Our platforms focus on game” around the globe and is considered tosoccer development issues, exposure and be one of the most accessible and affordableopportunities that will be discussed in length sport to be played by anyone, either alone orto allow our readers to make informed deci- with friends and families anywhere. It is how-sions about the sport. ever very emotionally consuming as it dividesBoth forms of magazines will bring to the fore, families and friends who support differentthe good, the bad and challenges faced by clubs in their localities and around the world.the role players in the game. The develop- In different societies where gender has beenment of the soccer game mainly starts from an issue with male dominance in manythe ages of 4 to 15 years and is played by spheres of life, football has managed topeople of different genders. We also discuss involve women as administrators and man-matters relating to men in the middle of the agers in the game at the highest level. Majorpark (referees), coaches, parents, associa- successful and big leagues around the globetions, supporters and fans. have included ladies soccer in their leaguesGone are the days where the great little play- and this has borne the fruits as we have iners have to wait for many years to start being recent history been able to witness the wom-recognised as good only when they are adults en best players been rewarded with their maleplaying in the professional ranks or in bigger peers at the events such as Ballon d’ or andsoccer leagues. This magazine will bring their also in the motherland of Africa where womenstories to the fore for our readers to read the are also honoured at the glittering galas suchstories about the kids from their own neigh- as yearly CAF Awards.bourhoods and communities. These have become a motivation for soWe bring the corporate players in the form many young girls looking forward to makingof advertising and exposure that will give the a decent living and becoming successful andreader an opportunity to know where and famous, who knows, “the Girl is allowed tohow to access the latest merchandise and to dream”. You will notice that our first issueattend events through the forged partnership covers a story of a young girl who is on herbetween us and the corporate partners. way to stardom in the beautiful game. May you enjoy our first edition and many more coming up to you for free, soon.

WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED VIA SMS

DiscoverySOCCER PARKSPRING LEAGUE2018 Discovery Soccer Park, Wanderers have done it again, with yet another fun-filled Spring League tournament. The tournament hosts have over the years emphasised that whilst there is fierce competition amongst the kids and their respective teams trying to edge out each other from day one to stay in the tournament until the final day, the focus is not on competition, but rather on enjoy- ment, fun and social cohesion between the junior soccer teams around Gauteng. Ryan Kalk, CEO of Discovery Soccer Park has indicated that the main priority of the tourna- ment is to get the kids from the ages of 5 to 17 to spend the last few weekends of the year, post their regular part of the season participating and enjoying themselves playing the sport that they love and having fun in front of their favourite sup- porters, family and friends. To indicate the point at hand, all the players participating in the tourna- ment receive the same medals on the last day and only the teams finishing as the ultimate last team standing in their’ respective age group gets a tro- phy that is similar to all the other age groups. So, from the 21st October to the 18th of Novem- ber it was that time again when the kidz around Gauteng, including teams from Pretoria and Springs had a turn to showcase their talents and stamina by playing football in the scorching heat of Gauteng.





Whilst the fun, enjoyment, camaraderie andteamwork have been evident over the entireduration of the tournament, the kids have shownthe tenacity and elements of competitivenesswith amazing skills and talent. One could seethe long range shots, pin point crosses, defencesplitting passes and acrobatic goal-keepingskills. It is either kids are just competitive by na-ture or their coaches and parents have directlyor indirectly instilled the level of competitivenessin them, or maybe we should give credit to TVfor showcasing competitive soccer stars in var-ious leagues around the world or the Consoleswith games like PES, EA sports etc.The Discovery Soccer Park Spring League hasgrown in leaps and bounds and has showcasedthe skills and football knowledge at an earlyage of the competitors. The record-breakingattendance with 125 teams, over 1000 playersand over 2000+ spectators per day shows thatthe formula is working and the Discovery Soc-cer Park, team has long realised that soccer atthese age groups and levels is a family event.The open spaces within the Clubhouse allow thefamily members to relax in a secure environmentwith a multitude of snacks and refreshments,especially the early morning coffee for all theattendees.If the success of the 2018 event is used as agauge, then 2019 is set to be even bigger andbetter with the expected number of spectators,parents, coaches and players anticipated togrow. We are looking forward to the spectaclesof soccer wizardry and abundance of talentsand skills from these future Bafana Bafana andBanyana Banyana stars.

KICK IT KIDZ MAGAZINELAUNCH Patience is a virtue they say. Others go fur- ther and say that good things come to those who wait. This is more appropriate for this first edition because on the 15th of February 2018, was the day that the unknown new media company was launched to the public for the first time, taking out a secret that was kept for almost 2 years, whilst the stories were written and refined for the consumers, partners and the clients, including the little people that play the amazing sport called the Beautiful game. The attendance was great and the festivities started a bit late due to rain that ran havoc on the day, however the spirit were never dampened as the participants started com- ing in, defying the gloomy weather and met with a smell of a well refined coffee in the venue. The launch venue was at Genesis Suites Hotel and Conferencing in Fairmount Johan- nesburg. Fortunately the warm breakfast and drinks made up for the coldness outside. Soon the function started and the hosts from Kick it Kidz Media welcomed the attendants and ensured that everyone was warm and relaxed. Straight from the beginning the attendants knew that something different and import- ant was about to break, even though it was kept wrapped from the Media. This was the invite only event and it lived up to its billing. The people that attended the event was a mix of diversity with some coming from the corporate, easily identifiable and recognised ex soccer professional players for local and international clubs and our national Bafana Bafana team, soccer development coaches, marketing and digital heads from some of the well-known Professional Soccer teams.

Kick it Kidz magazine’s content head The attendants were very excited and of-kicked off the proceedings, informing fered their support for the magazine as theythe attendants about the new company all agreed that it covers a neglected market.launching on the day. He took the at- Mark Fish was the event’s guest speaker andtendants to the beginning of the con- he also emphasised his excitement about thecept, the reasons behind the idea and launch of the two magazine platforms. Hewhy this media company is unique from cautioned about the magazine embeddingany other in the country. He presented with the stakeholders and not attending to thethe benefits of the media house launch- negative stories in the development sphereing at this particular time in our history, and only focusing on the positives. What hejust four month before the Russia 18 was indicating was that the magazine shouldWorld Cup. live up to its launch promises and be a mouthThe launch was focused on the new piece for the industry in a balanced manner.eMag and Online Digital Magazinewhich are new platforms that will focuson the soccer development coveragefor kids aged between 4 and 15 yearsold, playing football. This is for bothBoys and Girls.





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GKICKIINRG LSShelley is a dedicated, committed and a tal-referred to as the go to girl in front of the ented little girl who shows that gender is not a determining factor in becoming successful. Having scored so many goals both at schoolIT HIGH 9and current soccer club, she has now been goals. Kick It Kidz have had a chat with herMove aside guys, coaches, parents and her team mates who have all sung her praises. She gives us hope that the future Banyana Banyana teams willShelley is in the not have a shortage of natural scorers.building. Shelley is a shy girl, who does her talking in the field of play and has thanked her parents and uncles for motivating her to pursue foot- ball. She represents hope, passion, hard- work and commitment. As long as she keeps doing what she does best, one has no doubtWhen majority of soccer loving people, the that one day we will also have one of our ownfans, supporters and sponsors think of foot-ball, women soccer is not usually the first little flower gracing the international shores and becoming successful.thing that comes to mind. However this phe-nomenon will someday change as more pro-fessional systems are gradually being phased Her balance of play and studies is commend- able as she shows that having fun can helpin to accommodate women into the sport. kids focus on their education. Her teachersMost teams around the world have womenfootball of all ages training at an early age and are happy with her performances both on and off the field.have now increased the chances of making adecent living for athletes should they choosesoccer as a professional career.You mustn’t be fooled by their features, theysay. This is a very accurate statement whenyou think of a precious, tall, tiny and beautifulgirl that is Shirley. Those who have faced heron the opposite side have borne the brunt ofa hard tackler, hard running, dribbling skillsand fierce shot to name just a few of her attri-butes.

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HEALTHY EATING AND MEALTIPS FOR ACTIVE KIDSBy Lila Bruk, Resgitered Dietitian (www.lilabruk.co.za)It can be difficult to get your children to eat the right foods atthe right times especially if they are very active and thus inneed of extra energyBEFORE SPORTSBefore playing sport in the afternoon, it is essential that children eat an easily-digestible meal atleast 30 minutes before playing and that provides a source of both carbohydrates and protein.Some examples of suitable after-school before-soccer meals include:• Pasta salad• Grilled chicken and salad in a pita bread• Raw chopped vegetables (e.g. cucumber, red pepper, baby tomatoes) with hummus, avocado and cottage cheese as a dip, with some whole-wheat crackers or provitas• Tuna salad• Feta and couscous salad

DURING SPORTSAssuming your child has eaten a small meal or snack before exercising, water should be suffi-cient during sports. If your child feels they desperately need to eat during their sports session,fresh fruit is ideal as it provides hydration and natural fruit sugars to fuel their training.AFTER SPORTSAfter sports, it is extremely important that they have a snack, which allows their bodies to refueland recover and replenish their nutrients. Examples of suitable snacks include: o 200 – 300ml (1 cup) fruit smoothie/milkshake o 250ml (1 cup) low-fat fruit yogurt or 350ml (1½ cups) drinking yogurt o 200ml (1 cup) drinking yogurt + low-fat energy bar o Small handful of lean biltong + low-fat energy bar or dried fruit bar o Sandwich with low-fat cheese/cottage cheese/lean cold meat/chicken + 1 fruit o Bowl of cereal with low-fat or fat-free milk o 30g lean beef biltong + 10 jelly babies + water o 2 small packets pretzels or 6 rice cakes + 30g lean beef biltong/low-fat cheeseUnfortunately, it is also extremely possible that after sports are done, your child will beg you totake him/her to the nearest fast food outlet for some deep-fried treats that will not do their bodiesany good. If that is the case, here some alternatives for the fast food bites they are craving:FAST-FOOD ALTERNATIVESInstead of eating You could eatFried Chicken Grilled chicken breast (cooked in tinned tomato and onion mix as a sauce).Hamburger and chips Grilling take away outlets are usually quite good fast food options, as they flame-grill their chicken, and thus it is usually lower in fat. Grilled ostrich patty OR chicken burger patty OR a steak burger in a seed roll, with salad and oven-baked chipsPasta in cream sauce Pasta with bolognaise sauce (made with extra-lean mince), OR aLamb schwarma baked potato with a low-fat cheese, meat, chicken, tuna, tomato or mushroom sauce (made without cream) Grilled chicken breast, or lean beef steak, cut into strips and served in a pita or wrap with salad vegetables, OR a chicken kebab with rice and vegetables.Pizza with cheese and salami Thin crust pizza, with less cheese and extra vegetables

INCREASE YOUR CHILD’SFRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKEMany parents struggle to get their children to eat enough fruits and veggies. Here are some tricksand tips to get them munching.• Chop up a piece of fruit into breakfast cereal• Make a fruit smoothie at breakfast (made with yoghurt and fresh fruit)• Have fruit as a quick and convenient snack between meals, or as a dessert after meals.• Snack on raw vegetables with hummus, low-fat cottage, or mashed avocado as a dip.• Use vegetables in stirfries, soups, salads, stews and even vegetable juices.• Put salad onto sandwiches to increase the fibre of the sandwich and make it more filling.• Try out new and exotic fruits and vegetables that become available to prevent becoming bored with eating the same ones day in and day out.

SOCCERMOMS

SOCCER MOMS Her daily routine involves the usual and normal preparation of kids going to school inDefined and used mainly as an American the morning, included in the routine is bath-slang normally refers to a mother whose ing, ironing, break-fast, lunch-boxes, home-child or children play soccer or similar ac- works, driving the kids to school, soccertivities; a mother who spends much time practice, ballet practice, going to her owntransporting her children to athletic events, work, attending to meetings, getting backor otherwise supporting her children’s activ- to fetch kids from school, hair and barberities; especially any such woman viewed as shops, collecting medication for the sickly,a member of a particular (usually influential) preparing dinner, trying to watch TV andclass of voter, consumer, etc. “ ultimately falling asleep after everyone hasThe term has evolved around the world and gone to bed. The next morning it starts allis generally accepted with its definition, over again. Talk about being self-less.however with the society challenges and The weekends are competitive days for thedynamics having changed in the last couple kids, as they go back to attend their soccerof decades, we have seen a soccer mom matches, you guessed right, soccer momchanging and adapting to the new roles as has to do the dropping on and off and at-well. Women are now generally occupying tending some of the matches if not all ofhigher seats in society and are known to ex- them. Winning the title for the best personcel in multi-tasking than dads, and as such of the year has to go to only one person, ourhave taken the role of sport support to the beloved and dearest soccer moms, howev-next level. er since they are not always recognised for their mad days, they simply get comforted‘Winning the title for the best by the smiles of their little ones when theyperson of the year has to go to are satisfied.only one person, our beloved As she hurriedly rushed to give a huge mom-and dearest soccer moms’ ly hug to her son after the soccer match in a scorching heat, she was asked whether it isWhat does it mean for kids to have their all worth it. Zodwa simply replied in a typicalsoccer moms during their practice sessions proudly mom moment. “Try it for a weekand matches? Clearly, the response is over- and see what happens to your kids, and youwhelmingly obvious. The kids want parents’ will know my response”. Without any doubtsupport at all times even more when they her smile gave it away. It simply provided aplay or are engaged on hobbies and sport worthy moment of self-pride and satisfactionactivities. for the job well done to herself and the boy.Meet Zodwa the soccer mom. She is a“hands full” parent who is normally referredto as “maphathephathe” in zulu slang,meaning the one who never sits down. Sheis a typical hands-on deck person, whotakes care of all her kids’ spiritual, educa-tional, physical and emotional needs withoutany complaints. Her kids have noticed her23H00 nightly sleep routine on a daily basisand have thus far decided to nick name heras a “Superman”. Befitting I guess, but Su-perwoman would have been ideal.

Soccer moms should definitely be proud of Their being used to being so much in theirthe great work they do for the kids. How- kids’ lives, sometimes cloud their judgmentever there is another side that not everyone and make it harder for the mentors andis happy about. One of the coaches and coaches to instil discipline that is so es-mentors for the soccer under 6 to 11 years sential at this early age. It becomes worseof age categories, has hinted that, soccer when the kids cry over a tackle or for themoms are difficult customers sometimes. coaches shouting. The soccer moms usual-Their continuous interference with the ly take their kids sides regardless of the mat-coaches’ decisions for not picking their kids ters at hand and it creates a negative habitfor the matches, or for tackles on their kids in their kiddies’ behaviour.and sometimes for not affording their kids Whilst we celebrate the soccer moms’ greatopportunities to score penalties is mostly work, we give them a yellow card for inter-met with venom and vengeance. fering in the coaches and referees work. Otherwise great work all round.

MANIN THEMIDDLE

A man in the middle is a commonly used jar- The referees are given full responsibilitiesgon for the official who is in overall control of and accountability during the matches andthe soccer game. The official’s proper name are therefore entrusted to apply their mindsis a “Referee”. He is usually helped by two and use their discretion for fairness duringother officials on the field of play called the the officiating period.referee’s assistants (formerly known as lines-men). Once the kids graduate to under 9 they areWith soccer evolving and the rules of the expected to use bigger goal posts, biggermatches changing, the various soccer bod- fields and the laws of the game start to biteies are using the technology and any other a little bit. Under 10 requires half of thevaluable and accepted means to improve normal adult soccer field and the rules ofthe game and make it more competitive. off-sides, penalties, proper throw-ins, cornerThe referee’s main objective is to ensure that kicks and free kicks apply. Once graduat-the results are fair for both teams, by apply- ed to under 11, then all the necessary anding the predetermined and agreed rules and important rules of the game applies as nor-regulations. mal. This implies that the men in the middleWe have seen in the past couple of years, should always study and learn the rules ofthe emergence of new rules and innova- the beautiful game, but also keep abreasttions to the game, particularly with the UEFA with the changes made almost yearly by theChampions League matches, where the International Football Associations Boardnumber of referee’s assistants has doubled (IFAB) on the soccer rules.from 2 to 4, taking the total number of activematch officials to 5 including the man in the “Human errors have causedmiddle, who is still accountable for all the headaches over the years fordecisions made on the day. So, you have 2 players, supporters, fans, teams,normal lines men (typical old name used to associations alike and as suchdefine the 2 officials on the opposing side have created major talking pointsof the lines) and two new ones placed just at workplaces”around each side of the goal lines, where theusual referee’s assistants normally go during In this article we have outlined the import-the penalty shootouts. ant roles and major responsibilities that theThe role of the referee’s is highly important men in the middle play in ensuring that theas it also ensures the protection of players games are fully legitimate and that they arefrom career ending tackles, where the per- seen to be fair. Human errors have causedpetrators are given warnings through yellow headaches over the years for players, sup-cards or are basically instructed or removed porters, fans, teams, associations alike andfrom the soccer field by means of a red card as such have created major talking pointsfor continuous misbehaviour on the field at workplaces, shebeens, schools and at allduring the match. the other common assembly places.The development soccer is no exceptionwhen it comes to applying the rules of the Whilst many have sworn at them, despisedgame as it usually involves the same setup them and threated them, they have alsoof officiating, however leniency is always praised them when things go right for thempractised at lower levels based on age. The and that is what makes a beautiful game theunder 6, 7 and 8 are not usually penalised most loved and hated sport in the world.harshly, even though the rules have to beinterpreted mainly the same way, there are Men in the middle, keep reading and learn-times where leniency is expected on things ing new rules and regulations and continuesuch as proper throw-ins, corner kicks etc. helping the most played and loved sport in the world to grow and become better.