100,000 Kiwi kids stride towards FIFA World Cup

Media release

27 April 2010

100,000 Kiwi kids stride towards FIFA World Cup

One lucky child to walk all the way onto the pitch!
 
Children from primary schools across New Zealand are eagerly gearing up to receive their free pedometer and get walking in support of the All Whites journey to the FIFA World Cup.

McDonald’s My Greatest Feat, the country’s largest physical activity programme for children, has been re-ignited for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and will see around 100,000 kids counting their steps in support of the All Whites’ first World Cup appearance in 28 years.

One lucky child from registered primary school participants has also been drawn by McDonald’s to travel to South Africa in June, as part of the company’s global player escort programme. 

Jack Scott, aged nine, from Kimihia Primary School in Huntly, will be off to South Africa where he will have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of walking the All Whites onto the pitch for their historic kick-off match, then stand with the team for the national anthem.

Jack says he is very excited to go to South Africa and see the All Whites play football.

“Football is one of my favourite sports and I am very excited to be going all the way to South Africa to see the New Zealand team play. I also get to go on a safari and see wild animals in South Africa which is very lucky!” he says.

McDonald’s My Greatest Feat ambassador and All Whites captain, Ryan Nelsen, says it is inspiring that so many Kiwi kids will be getting behind the All Whites’ journey to South Africa.

“For the first time since 1982, and only the second time ever in history, the All Whites will be walking on to the pitch of a World Cup – a great feat for our team and country.  It’s been a dream of mine since primary school to get to the World Cup and it’s pretty cool to know more than 100,000 Kiwi kids are coming along for the ride!” says Ryan Nelsen.

Conceived and developed by McDonald’s New Zealand, the inaugural My Greatest Feat in 2008 saw more than 94,000 primary school children take three billion steps – walking more than 1.6 million kilometres together and making it the largest physical activity programme ever undertaken in New Zealand.

With the support of New Zealand Football and FIFA, on Monday, 24 May 2010, more than 100,000 children are expected to kick-off a three week journey leading up to the World Cup, counting the steps they take every day using their personal pedometer and logging results collectively with their class.  Participants make a simulated online journey 16,000km through South Africa with the All Whites, escorting them all the way onto the pitch for their kick off at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

Mark Hawthorne, Managing Director of McDonald’s New Zealand, says the success of the 2008 My Greatest Feat programme, along with the positive feedback they received from teachers, principals, parents and children alike, encouraged McDonald’s to bring back My Greatest Feat for a second time.

“As a proud sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and principal partner of the New Zealand Small Whites and junior football, we wanted to bring the FIFA World Cup alive for Kiwi kids.  What better way than getting children involved in our team’s journey to the Cup and walking with them through the My Greatest Feat programme.

“The All Whites have certainly achieved a major feat in reaching their goal of making it to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa – we hope McDonald’s My Greatest Feat will remind kids across the country that anything is possible,” he says.

Ends

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