Vakhegula-Vakhegula – Herbalife Helps Bring South African Soccer Grannies to Compete in Veteran's Cup
13 Juli 2010 - 1:00PM
Business Wire
Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE: HLF) has teamed up with the United States
Adult Soccer Association (USASA http://www.usasa.com), the
Massachusetts Adult State Soccer Association (MASS), the Veterans
Cup committee (http://www.veteranscup.us) and the Lexpressas
women’s soccer team to help the Vakhegula-Vakhegula soccer team
come to America to compete in the annual Veteran’s Cup tournament
this week. Known as the ‘Soccer Grannies,’ the women from Limpopo,
South Africa are ages 49 to 84.
Vakhegula-Vakhegula means ‘Grannies’ in the local Xitsonga
dialect. Twice a week they swap domestic chores for football,
donning soccer boots instead of their usual rubber sandals to play
in local matches. Seven other teams have been set up in Limpopo,
also holding regular training sessions. The league called the Top
Eight provides a venue for the Grannies to compete twice a
year.
The team was founded by Beka Ntsanwisi, who is known as “Mother
Theresa of Limpopo.” She is the recipient of many awards from 2002
through 2008 for outstanding contribution in the fields of health,
education and youth development in the rural villages of
Limpopo.
To help the Vakhegula-Vakhegula team, the USASA, the
Massachusetts Soccer Association and the Veterans Cup committee
have provided Veterans Cup registration fees and tournament
participant insurance fees. The Lexpressas, a Boston-area women’s
soccer team, are taking responsibility for housing, meals, some
activities preceding or following the tournament; and
transportation of the team to and from Boston to Lancaster. South
Africa Partners assisted with fundraising support and is continuing
to collect tax-deductible donations for the Grannies. To donate
please specify “Grannies Football Fund” in the gift information
field at: http://www.sapartners.org/
Herbalife joined in to help after a Los Angeles Times article
brought the team to the company’s attention. “Herbalife is the
official nutrition sponsor of 12 professional soccer teams around
the world including FCBarcelona and the LA Galaxy, as well as the
AYSO here in the U.S.,” said Herbalife Chairman and CEO Michael O.
Johnson. “We were inspired by these women who have overcome
significant obstacles to play soccer. Yesterday we were cheering on
Spain with seven FC Barcelona players in the World Cup – this week
we’re cheering on the Grannies.” The company provided funding for
round-trip travel expenses, sponsorship support, and like the LA
Galaxy, the Vakhegula Vakhegula will be wearing Herbalife on the
front of their jerseys.
The Veterans Cup tournament was established in 1998 by the
United States Adult Soccer Association. Men’s and women’s teams
compete in divisions ranging from 30 to over 65 years of age. This
six-day event will be held July 13-18, 2010 in Lancaster, MA and
hosted by the Massachusetts Adult State Soccer Association, which
anticipates 100 adult soccer teams, comprising approximately 3,200
players, family members, and supporters:
http://www.veteranscup.us.
The tournament will be held at Citizens Bank Fields at Progin
Park in Lancaster. It is a 250-acre state-of-the-art facility
approximately 40 minutes west of Boston and features sixteen
FIFA-regulation soccer fields. Attendance at the games is free.
Limited parking is available; carpooling is strongly
recommended.
The Vakhegula-Vakhegula (Soccer Grannies) game schedule:
- Thursday, July 15th – 10:00 am
Field 6 vs the Bay State Breakers Six-O Massachusetts
- Friday, July 16th – 8:00 am –
Field 4 – vs San Diego Celtics 60 – California South
- Saturday, July 17th – 11:00 am –
Field 1 vs HKP550 – Hawaii
Photo/Video/Interview Opportunities:
- Grannies group arriving at
Boston/Logan airport, Wednesday, July 14
- Grannies’ games
- Team founder Beka Ntsanwisi
- National Veterans Cup Chair Tim
Busch
- Massachusetts Soccer President
Cezar Wasecki
- Michael Johnson, Herbalife
chairman and CEO
- The Lexpressas, the Boston-area
over-40 women soccer players who doggedly pursued getting the
Grannies to the games and are the ones who made it happen.
- Thursday, July 15, 6:30 PM, The
New England Over the Hill League and the Eastern Massachusetts
women’s soccer league are hosting a reception for the South African
Grannies and for the Tokyo Seniors from Japan. Players and media
are invited. Four Points by Sheraton Leominster hotel, 99 Erdman
Way, Leominster, MA 01453.
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/property/area/map.html?propertyID=818
Herbalife links: Facebook,
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About Herbalife Ltd.
Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) is a global network marketing company
that sells weight-management, nutrition, and personal care products
intended to support a healthy lifestyle. Herbalife products are
sold in 73 countries through a network of approximately 2.1 million
independent distributors. The company supports the Herbalife Family
Foundation and its Casa Herbalife program to help bring good
nutrition to children. Herbalife's website contains a significant
amount of information about Herbalife, including financial and
other information for investors at http://ir.Herbalife.com. The
company encourages investors to visit its website from time to
time, as information is updated and new information is posted.
*Herbalife is the Official Nutrition Sponsor of FCBarcelona, FC
SChalke, KV Mechelen, LA Galaxy, Lyngby BK Old Boys, Molde
Fotbalklubb, Pumas, RC Strasbourg, San Martin Porres, Santos, SVB
Excelsior and Valencia. The company sponsors more than 50 sports
and fitness teams, individual athletes and events including the
AYSO and the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball player Leo Messi.
http://www.herbalifesports.com/EN/home.asp
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