TAKING THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

The road to the PSL for Aubrey Modiba was not the conventional path taken by most players as he twice had to go for trials in Polokwane, chasing opportunities in Gauteng with his grandmother’s goodwill laying the foundation. “The first trials that I went to were for the School of Excellence admission in 2009,” Modiba says. “The people from the school came to Polokwane and it was two of us chosen from about 600-700 hopefuls that were there.

“Those trials started at 08h00 and then went on until it got dark, so it is such thoughts that always make me realise how lucky and appreciative of the opportunity that I now have as a professional footballer because I know how many other people wanted this. “That day changed my life because from being at Hungry Lions in Limpopo, I was now able to come to Johannesburg. The day of the trials, every player had to pay R20 for transport to Polokwane and back and my granny gave me that money since she always made sure that I don’t miss such opportunities. “I had spoken about the School of Excellence trials the whole year when I was in Grade 7 in 2008. After completing my Matric at the School of Excellence, I went to the Black Aces Castle League team, but nothing was happening until I left Jo’burg for the Easter holidays, which also coincided with the Ke Yona trials in Polokwane.

“It was my granny who sent me money again to go for those trials because I wasn’t earning in the Aces Castle team. The thought of rejection in the Gauteng Ke Yona is what pushed me into going to Limpopo, where I felt I would have a better chance than in Gauteng where there are more academies and a bigger pool of players chasing the same opportunities. “It was only after being selected at the Ke Yona trials that Aces then offered me a first team contract,” he explains.