Stigga ploughs back knowledge
...former Brave Warriors' captain set to launch football academy
“We have to give these young people a platform or opportunity that we never had so that they can become better players than we were.”
Former Brave Warriors' captain Ronald ‘Stigga' Ketjijere is determined that the next generation of footballers “become better players than we were”.
The retired midfielder (retired from playing international football, at least) plans to launch a football academy that will operate in Okakarara and Windhoek this month.
Dubbed the Ronald Stigga Ketjijere Football Academy, the former University of Pretoria player said the idea was sparked by “the need to give back to the community”.
“We have to give these young people a platform or opportunity that we never had so that they can become better players than we were,” he told The PlayMaker.
“The whole idea, especially in Okakarara, was to say: look, I am from the town, and I went as far as playing for the national team. So, I deemed it fit to create a better platform for these young lads so that they can also make a living out of football.”
Valuable experience
Ketjijere, who has assembled a team of former players to help in running the academy, goes on to explain that his experience of playing in a professional set-up with the University of Pretoria, where he spent at least three seasons, will be valuable to the academy players.
“I want to share my experience with them; to tell them what it is to play in a professional set-up, and inspire them [to follow suit].
“During our time, most of us when we went to play professional had no one talking to us about how difficult it is on the other side. So, we struggled a bit to adapt and to start performing properly. But with the experience we gained there, we will share the specific experiences with the players and guide them on what they must focus on, especially when they get scouted.”
As for his team of coaches and administrators, the former captain has put together a group of similarly passionate individuals.
“We have Bricks Karonda and Emmel Katjimune in Okakarara, who are both former premier league players here in Namibia. Very good experience. Then we have very young men who are on the ground and assisting with training in Utjevera and Operi Rukanda, who are twins currently playing for Okakarara Young Warriors.
“We have a goalkeeper coach there as well… in Windhoek, we have Ricardo Tjiuoro, former Eleven Arrows player… we have Uakotora Mbatera, a former Hotspurs player and Manfred ‘Dockies' Kazondume, a former
Tura Magic player. Alfeus ‘Mbwale' Handura, a current Brave Warriors player, is also involved, and for administration in Okakarara, we have Mario Ndero and in Windhoek we have Caleb Majooka,” Ketjijere stated.
Interesting slogan
Something that quickly catches the eye about the emergence of this academy is their interesting slogan: “With us, football is played with the head. Your feet are just the tools”.
The Okakarara-born former star went to great lengths to explain the concept.
“In football, you see people kicking the ball with their feet. Of course, the game is played with the feet, but at the end of the day you have to understand the game. We use more of our brains because you need to have that ability to read the game, know what is expected from you… all these things are done by the brain, and it is the main thing behind playing football.
“So, the legs are just the tools directed by the brain,” he smiled.
The closing date to become part of this exciting development is 05 May for the Okakarara branch, and 20 May for the Windhoek intake.
Looking ahead, Ketjijere said producing players of quality is the ultimate aim.
“The dream or ambition is to have a player from the academy representing the national team, whether it is at junior or senior level. It will also be a success story if we can have some of the players that we are currently training, playing in the premier league here in Namibia or even in South Africa.
“Those will be top success stories, and that is what we are looking for. Our ambition is to really make it happen,” he concluded.
“The whole idea, especially in Okakarara, was to say: look, I am from the town and I went as far as playing for the national team. So I deemed it fit to create a better platform for these young lads so that they can also make a living out of football.”