Ex-footballers giving back
TWO former Pietermaritzburg professional footballers are determined to grow players who would be able to play at football’s highest levels.
Krish Naidoo and Keith Abrahams, who were in their prime as players in the 1980s, are spearheading a football “grassroots” initiative of Technicals Football Club.
Both Naidoo and Abrahams have achieved Safa’s “B” Licence coaching accreditation, and are now determined to use their knowledge and experience to churn out the city’s next crop of pro footballers.
Abrahams has had spells with Maritzburg United and AmaZulu in the past, while Naidoo played for United and captained former Federation Professional League team Real Taj, in the 1980s.
“Since the days of players like Biggs Chetty, Ravi Pillay, myself and others, Pietermaritzburg has gone through a generation without producing quality footballers,” Naidoo noticed.
He said the Technicals programme was in accordance with Fifa’s norms and standards for football development, and it would help to restore the glory days of the sport in the city.
Over 50 children in the 9 to 12 age group, from areas such as Alandale, Raisethorpe, Orients Heights and Northdale attended the coaching sessions, which were spread over three days.
The natural talent that Naidoo saw during those sessions convinced him that the right guidance would deliver a new generation of footballers who would soon filter into the top levels.
Naidoo said the need to run a grassroots programme dawned on him when he took on Technicals’ first team coaching duties, last year.
“I realised the need to build players for the future, by nurturing them in the right way.”
He said since the December sessions, the youngsters are worked with every Saturday at the club’s base in Alandale.
Much of their programme is about getting children to play small-sided games and improve player skills, but mostly getting the children to enjoy the outing, Naidoo said.
“We have all the basic equipment for coaching and we have not relied on handouts to run our programme. We’ve staged fundraising events to provide for our needs.”
After retiring from professional football in the 1990s Naidoo concentrated on playing golf.
He got so involved with the sport that he started the Midlands Golf Club, which is flourishing presently.