FORMER PLAYERS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO BUILD THE NEXT GENERATION

By KOPANO MONAHENG
HOW many pupils does Mzansi produce every year? Millions, probably, and many of these pupils play soccer at school with one dream in mind — to become professional footballers.
For them, the dream is to represent big clubs such as Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns in the Betway Premiership, while others aspire to play for top teams in Europe.
However, to realise these dreams, young footballers need motivation, guidance and opportunities to showcase their talent.

This is where former players such as Surprise Moriri, Hlompho Kekana and others can play an important role in inspiring the next generation. On Wednesday, despite heavy rain, young footballers braved the weather to compete for honours at the 2026 Kay Motsepe Schools Championship National Football Finals at Giant Stadium in Soshanguve Pretoria.
The fans turned out in numbers to watch the youngsters battle it out, while representatives from the Department of Basic Education, the Motsepe Foundation and Mamelodi Sundowns legends also attended the event.

Speaking about the tournament, former Sundowns captain Kekana said initiatives that allow youngsters to showcase their talent and interact with others are important to their development.
“When I was telling Surprise earlier, this is the only time I remember myself as a 13-year-old because you are playing for fun. More than anything, you are enjoying the moment,” said Kekana.
He believes tournaments such as these offer more than just a pathway to professional football.
“This is a platform where you learn a lot as a young star. The key element that you learn about life is social skills, which is something you will never learn even at school,” he said.

Kekana explained that youngsters learn to communicate, make friends and interact with people from different backgrounds — skills that can benefit them beyond football.
He also stressed that not every youngster will become a professional footballer, but such opportunities can prepare them for life.
“For me, it is a platform that gives kids ammunition when they go to the next step of their lives,” he said.

Kekana further challenged current professional footballers to recognise their responsibility as role models, warning them to be mindful of their behaviour on social media.
“We have a huge responsibility to make sure that whatever we are doing must be positive to build the next generation,” he said.
He also questioned whether football structures, including South African Football Association (SAFA) and clubs, were doing enough to nurture identified talent.

Kekana believes that identifying talented youngsters is key but the real challenge, according to him is creating an environment where their talent can be nurtured and their dreams given a chance to become reality.