Vodacom NXT LVL Putting Footballers Through School

Oct 10, 2016 | ,

Having played various sports as a child and teenager, as well as watching my nine-year old explore different sports, including rugby and football, I sincerely believe that participating in sports can have immense benefits for a child growing up. At my son’s football sessions, the coaches are fair but don’t allow for messing around. They expect discipline, the desire to work hard, the understanding that it is about team work and having fun. I have seen introverted and/or shy children, including my boy, come into their own on the training field and, in talking to other parents, we see it carry...

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Youth Development hits the NXT LVL

Jun 22, 2016 | ,

Lionel Messi started playing in his hometown team Club Atletico Newell’s Old Boys youth system at the age of 8. At 13, he moved, with his entire family to Spain where he trained and played at La Masia, Barcelona’s youth academy. Steven Gerrard joined Liverpool’s academy at 9. Cristiano Ronaldo signed with Sporting Club of Lisbon at 12. Andrea Pirlo made his Serie A debut for Brescia at the age of 16. Paul Pogba started playing for a club near his hometown in France at the age of 6, spending 7 seasons there. As with most sports, youth development in football is something that needs to take...

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Each Game Is A Moment

May 11, 2015 |

The Beautiful Game! How does one describe the full breadth of emotion that is born out of watching eleven versus eleven on a field in a battle for supremacy over a football where the weapons are skill, strategy, determination and passion? How do you articulate the feeling of pure joy when your team wins or the pain when the team is going through a rough patch? It seeps into all parts of your life, often made worse by the banter and chirping from those around you who support rival teams. It’s that time of the year that every football supporter dreads – end of season. Regardless of where your...

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My First Time

May 4, 2015 | ,

As painful as it is to quote a former Manchester United player, French footballer Eric Cantona is quoted as having said, “You can change your wife, your politics, but never, never can you change your favourite football team.” As someone who has supported the same teams for as long as I can remember being into football, this is something I believe. The science of how that team is decided in is absolutely inexact and, often, stems from those who came before us. My father is a Liverpool supporter. I honestly don’t know how it came about, only that it started when he lived in Europe. Even though...

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Into The Rush Of Horseracing

Aug 25, 2014 | ,

There are certain events on the South African social calendar that seem to be as much (if not more) about hype than the actual event. I have always felt the Durban July and, to a slightly lesser extent, the Met in Cape Town are two such events. The excitement around these occasions is often focused on marques, fashion and partying. I’ve never had the opportunity to attend either and I have often joked that the first time I attend will probably when I own a horse running in the race. Growing up in Lesotho, I’ve been exposed to horses – including riding up and down mountains when the snows are...

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Battle of the Football Ads

Jun 17, 2014 | ,

It is the FIFA World Cup in Brazil and, in addition to there being the opportunity to be absolutely gluttonous with football, but the different brands attempt to put their best foot forward to capture our attention and pockets. Football is big business and companies pay millions of dollars to be a part of the spectacle. For the sports brands, the competition is to adorn the bodies - and feet - of the football players in the hope that, if my favourite player is wearing their brand, I will be more inclined to interact with it. Last world cup, in 2010 in South Africa, I posted on Nike Football...

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