Stein family’s gift to the city
Soccer stars in exile... brothers honour activist parents via fund
IT’S A story of pain and sadness. It’s a tale of success and achievement. It’s a chronicle of politics and family. It’s a plot that could’ve been ripped from a best-selling novel. This is the saga of the Steins. And, as it unfolds from the 1960s to the present day, the narrative has now come full circle.
Athlone-born soccer-playing brothers Edwin, Brian and Mark Stein have set up the IL Stein Foundation, in memory of their parents, Isaiah and Lillian. Their objective is to use sport as a vehicle for self-improvement, and their aim is to provide financial and practical assistance to young people in the United Kingdom and South Africa, more particularly Cape Town.
Strikers Brian and Mark are especially well-known as they went on to become household names in top-flight football in England, with Brian starring for Luton Town and Mark a prolific goalscorer for Stoke City and Chelsea.
But before the Foundation and its vision can be explored, it’s important to trace the history of what brought the Stein brothers back to their place of birth – into the bosom of the Mother City.
Isaiah and Lillian Stein were active, prominent members in the struggle against the apartheid government in the 1960s. Isaiah was originally from Durban, but settled in Athlone with Lillian, the love of his life. It was a turbulent time, with the Stein household regularly raided by the police.
After Lillian spent some time in jail and returned home half-blind in one eye because of the treatment she received, and Isaiah was placed under 24-hour house arrest, the parents knew that it was time to leave.
At the time, Edwin was 12, Brian 10 and Mark 18 months old. In 1968, the Stein family, minus sister Julia (who stayed behind with Lillian’s brother), left the country secretly by boat. The trip took 21 days, according to Brian, and when they arrived in London they were met by the famous anti-apartheid Anglican bishop, Trevor Huddleston.
From their new base in London, Isaiah would continue to be an influential figure in the anti-apartheid movement abroad.
The brothers were raised and schooled in England – and would go on to become successful, famous sportsmen.
Edwin was the first black football manager in England when taking charge of Barnet. He would also go on to be assistant-manager at Peterborough and Birmingham. Brian came to prominence in spectacular fashion at Luton, scoring some incredible goals for the club. He would also later play in France for Caen. He was the first black South African to play for England, when he earned a cap in 1984.
Mark was a goalscorer of note, wherever he played, at Luton, Queen’s Park Rangers, Stoke and Chelsea. He was the first black South African to play in the English Premiership. From a humble background, where they were often surrounded by pain and uncertainty, and the cruelty of the apartheid era, the Stein brothers managed to overcome and succeed. And it’s this sense of aspiration they wish to inculcate in the sporting and coaching programmes they are implementing. These are currently already under way in Milton Keynes in England and in Cape Town, where they are involved at Heatherdale Primary in Belgravia Road, and Thornton Road Primary.
“Both our parents passed away in the last few years,” said Edwin, “and we wanted to create a legacy for them.
“We want to put something back and create opportunities for the kids, especially starting with the Athlone area where our parents were very active in the community.
“We want to empower and educate children through sport. We’ll put coaching programmes in place, in a desire to get the kids off the street, and also create longterm opportunities for them. We’ll bring coaches in from England to not only coach the children, but also to coach the coaches.
“We already have in place a strategy to bring in equipment and kit, which we will share among the various schools and programmes we put in place.
“We are affiliated to the English PFA (Professional Footballers Association). But they only come to South Africa once a year to do coaching. That’s just not enough, we want to come more regularly… the only way to get the children and the community to buy into what we want to do and achieve is to come more often.
“This is what our parents would have loved us to do, what they would want us to do, and we are committed to the Foundation we have named after them.”
Brian spoke particularly about the loss of discipline and how it is vital to success in any sphere.
“To get to the top requires discipline and hard work,” he said. “And somewhere along the line that has been lost. I believe that the qualities needed to excel in sport are the same qualities needed to excel in life. And that is the aim of the Foundation… To serve young people in learning about respect, for others and themselves, and about the value of listening, work ethic, teamwork and healthy living. Importantly, we believe it’s crucial that young people have confidence, and that they find a voice of their own.”
Edwin was a schoolteacher recently, but has quit to run and administer the IL Foundation. Brian still works part-time for the PFA, tasked with watching football games in England and doing reports and statistics. Mark used to be the physio at English Championship side Rotherham, but quit and is now also a schoolteacher.
Julia, who remained in Cape Town, lives in Surrey Estate.
Later this year, tentatively in November, the brothers will be holding a golf day in Cape Town to raise funds for the Foundation – and they will be bringing along former players like Ian Wright, Ossie Ardiles, Ricky Villa, Mick Hazard, Alan Smith, Nigel Winterburn and a few others.