Teenagers reach for global stage
BALANCING school and sports may not be easy, but teenagers Jordan Chinniah, pictured above, and Kaiyuree Moodley, below, have found a way to juggle both. Jordan, of Shallcross, Durban, who returned from Italy in August after playing for the youth academy of Italian giants Inter Milan, said sacrifice was needed to excel. “I was asked to stay on in Europe and join Lusitano in Portugal in August as the new season was starting, but I had to turn down the offer because I needed to come home and complete my Grade 11 final exam so I could enter matric. Like my dad says, having an education is important, especially in an injury-prone sport.” Jordan, 17, a pupil at Wingen Heights Secondary School, passed and is in matric. He said despite rejoining Bayview Football Club shortly after his arrival, he had to buckle down on his studies, and to do this he had to cut down on watching TV and using his cellphone. The teen hopes to study sports science and return to Italy. “Ideally, I want to complete a degree while turning pro. If all else fails, I will pursue a career as a soccer coach.” Jordan said dad, Gordon, played soccer and he had followed in his footsteps. He said playing overseas meant he was exposed to a different culture of football that was tactical and physical. “It’s all about retaining possession and being disciplined and alert over there.” Gordon hopes his son can play at the highest level. “At home, we have done everything to ensure that Jordan manages his time properly. We have drawn up a timetable for him, which consists of study and exercise time.” His favourite players are Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio and Isco. Kaiyuree, from Fourways, is a matric pupil at Crawford College in Johannesburg who spends most of her time walking the fairways of the best golf courses in the world. She started playing golf at the age of 4 after receiving a plastic set of clubs from her mom, Devi Sankaree Govender. Fast forward 13 years, and Kaiyuree, 17, has become the second best junior amateur player in the country. “I practise three to four times a week, and when there’s a tournament, four to five times.” Aside from golfing, Kaiyuree wants to study psychology, and in order to do this she knows she has to maintain a balance in her life. She said her mother helped with ensuring this balance and provided her with the necessary support. Her dad, Perumal, said he was excited with what the future held for his daughter. Kaiyuree returned from the Annika Invitational in the US in January. She placed second after losing in the play-off. In 2017, she won the South African Rose Bowl Championships, and later followed this up with winning the Gauteng Junior Open, the Boland Ladies Championships, and the Southern Cape Ladies Open Championships. Kaiyuree, who looks up to the “Big Easy”, Ernie Els, said she appreciated the work he had been doing for female golfers in the country.