While Varsity Football is a great platform to expose talent, not all the footballers will fulfill their dreams of playing in the top flight, writes Charles Baloyi.
Varsity Football has arrived in style in Mzansi and it is keeping everyone on the edge of their seats on Mondays. The players will use this popular competition as a stepping stone to attract dream moves to the Premier Soccer League clubs.
But not all of them are made for the red-carpet in the big league, and not all of them will get to the land of milk and honey. Even injuries can put a stop to a promising soccer career and what then?
PSL stars such as AmaTuks defender Tebogo Monyai, Kaizer Chiefs goal-poacher Lehlohonolo Majoro and Platinum Stars’ gifted striker Patrick Malokase are some of the few players to fulfil their childhood dreams. The trio were spotted during the University Sport South Africa (USSA) competitions.
But only the few lucky ones will emulate the PSL stars and play in the country’s top division. For the unlucky players, who will not make the grade they don’t have to be lost to the beautiful game. There are many careers to follow outside the pitch to assist the players to make it.
Most of the students, who are playing in the competition, are post-graduates and are equipped with the necessary tools to help them succeed in their careers. While some players are lost in football, some have the potential to become team doctors, physios, team managers, commercial managers, kit managers, coaches, dieticians, project managers, to mention a few.
People such as Floyd Mbele and Senzo Mazingisa started out as footballers at varsity level, but were not made for the centre stage. But they made success of their lives as the top club administrators in the country.
Mbele is the CEO of Orlando Pirates, one of the biggest clubs in the country. He started as an amateur administrator in university sport, but look where varsity administration landed him today.
Masingiza, who is an ex-Pirates club administration manager, is the newly appointed team manager of Platinum Stars. He has the experience of 15 years in club administration gained at Bay United, the University of Pretoria and Pirates.
While administration has its own challenges as Mazingiza can attest, the sky is the limit. The modest Mazingiza was at the Tuks High Performance Centre for four years and did business management to lean on as his football career took a nose dive. He also went to a business school to pursue his studies – the challenge of administration is to deal with politics, coaches, players and the medical aspect of the game. But is there any job without politics in this world? I suppose not.
Varsity level is where players can learn the basics of administration and it helps them understand the ins and outs of football at an early stage – it is the starting point to gain valuable experience. Support at this level is very important.
I’m urging the footballers to cast their nets wide and not depend solely on football to succeed in life. The students must learn to maintain a good balance between their football and studies. But to succeed they have to keep their discipline and stick to their chosen fields of study. I have to admit that the football in this competition has been of the highest quality.
The rate of attendance continues to grow and the atmosphere is always electrifying. I want to end this by congratulating TUT and NMMU for being the only unbeaten teams with three pool matches to go. The two teams have surprised friend and a foe with their spirited performances.
By Charles Baloyi
