The future looks bright

This week I would like to focus on development and playing youngsters in a highly competitive game, with the Soweto Derby having played last weekend. We saw the Kaizer Chiefs technical team play two youngsters (Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya and Happy Mashiane) in their starting line-up. While this column’s focus is not on the derby or Chiefs, as I’m talking development, it is important to highlight what playing those two boys in that game brings to their development. It was significantly important for those boys to get that opportunity, which is something that hasn’t been happening in a long time now. Some of us graduated in similar conditions where we were promoted and exposed to big games at a young age, with the view and belief that we’d go on to make a big impact in the team.

It isn’t just about the derby because other teams have to produce and promote youngsters as well, for the betterment of South African football. Sometimes winning overrides the importance of development, which is very sad because playing youngsters doesn’t guarantee a loss. It is just that we tend not to believe in our youth, but there’s only one way for these youngsters to develop and grow in the game and that’s through being given opportunities. There’s a lot going into development and I can count a number of players who were exposed to these highintensity games at a young age and went on to achieve a lot. That’s because they got used to pressure situations at a young age. Look at Gerald Sibeko, Jabu (Pule) Mahlangu, Brian Baloyi, the late Thabang Lebese, Thabo Mooki, myself and many others. Once you get given that opportunity, you want to grab it with both hands so that you make a mark. You start thinking about where it all started for you and you never want to disappoint anyone. It is when you are aware of your responsibility, role and the expectations from everyone that you are fully developed and focused. You then feel free to express yourself because you know you’ve got everyone’s support and belief. You start showing your skill, physical abilities and then you are able to overcome any obstacle on the field.

That’s why I was happy to see these youngsters starting for Chiefs, although some may have thought it was a risky situation, since it was a derby. Having one of the development products introduced to his first derby was heart-warming because, even though Happy didn’t finish the game, he’s grown and developed mentally and, hopefully, will become one of the big names in South African football in future. I hope and wish that he will sustain his good performance at Chiefs. When you’re talking development, within each building block an extensive curriculum is designed to focus on the necessary skills set. Within each block, it is important to ensure that the player acquires the needed skills in order to support and

develop his game, according to the curriculum. These are basics that a player will need to go through before he graduates to the senior team, so that they are consistent on both fundamental and advanced performance levels. When you talk about those blocks, they enhance the capacity and capability of an individual to uphold any sort of pressure. When it comes to tactics, that player has to be able to be part of the team and not isolate himself. This is how you measure a player’s development and that also tells you whether the player will be able to perform, follow instructions and deliver for the team, as it is about the group effort. Remember, you’re talking about the team, group of players and an individual, so a player has to deliver on all three fronts. That will inspire him to excel on the field and give him confidence that he’s ticked all the boxes.

What’s missing in the development stages, let’s

say your academy, is a format designed for players to understand what is needed from them. For example, if a player is a winger, he needs to know what his team’s winger is expected to do when he’s in his own half and when he is in the last third. He can’t be the same player. Take Mashiane for example – if the senior team was playing differently to the development teams, he would struggle to fit in because he would have to be taught from scratch. There has to be a continuity, which is a repetition, that will enhance the player’s career and ensure that they are able to deliver. That’s why academies are very important in a player’s development because they prepare for the future. When the player gets to the senior team, it has to be a continuation from their development days so that players don’t find themselves confused. That’s what sets some of the players back because they get a rude awakening when they get promoted to the senior team, as they operate completely differently to their junior teams.

Players who have been developed properly usually become national assets and it is unfortunate that I have to mention Wiseman Meyiwa, again this week, as I’m talking development. That boy is a good example of what I’ talking about. As much as he was the product of Chiefs development, he was doing wonders for our National U20 team and that boy was earmarked to replace Willard Katsande one day. That’s what development is all about and I know exactly what I’m talking about. I would really like to encourage everyone to take development a lot more seriously in this country and I would also like to urge everyone to embrace these youngsters. Without proper development structures and a way of channelling these boys into being good professionals, then we won’t succeed.

On Thabo Senong

While talking development, let me congratulate coach Thabo Senong and his technical team and players for a wonderful job of securing another World Cup spot for our junior national U20 team. Time will tell if our senior team will repeat the feat and we wish them all the best. Our junior teams seem to be doing well because we have the Ke Yona Team search, the MultiChoice Diski Challenge and other development feeders, like township tournaments, which help the youngsters a lot in terms of their development. The future looks bright. Having said that, we need to sort out our identity because we can’t have so many different styles in the same league, otherwise that will always hamper our game. We need one way of structuring our youngsters, a curriculum that will guide us and maybe the goalscoring problem, among others, will be a thing of the past.