iDiski Times hails Varsity Football’s growth and progress

iDiski Times Senior Journalist and Editor Rob Delport has highlighted the significant impact that Varsity Football continues to have on the development of young players, stressing that the competition plays a crucial role in shaping their growth both on and off the field.

Delport believes that Varsity Football provides a unique platform for many young players, giving them opportunities that differ from traditional development structures and allowing them to showcase their talent on a bigger stage.

“We've seen over the past few years, more professional players looking at education as well and playing Varsity Football at the same time,” said Delport.

“It creates a different pathway, you know, not just potentially creating a different career opportunity and thinking about things, but it opens the players' minds. 

“You know, an educated footballer is a smarter footballer and it can, you know, we've obviously seen just because he graduated over the past week again but [Sekhukhune United goalkeeper] Renaldo Leaner, you know, when he's got a Bafana Bafana cap now and four or five years ago he wasn't playing club football, he was playing Varsity Football for UWC.”

Delports added that competing in Varsity Football has been a valuable experience, providing him with the platform to grow as a player while also helping him improve his game at a higher level of competition.

“You saw how a progression happened afterwards, after Renaldo graduated from the tournament, so it's a different route and like I said, it creates a lot, it creates a smarter footballer,” he adds.

While catching up with Delport in Stellenbosch during Stellenbosch FC’s training session ahead of their crucial MTN8 final against Orlando Pirates at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday, he highlighted that even Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs are starting to benefit from smarter, more educated footballers who bring both skill and intelligence to the game.

Delport, who also serves as a Head Researcher and brings over 20 years of experience as a sports journalist, emphasized that the presence of Varsity Football is highly beneficial, providing opportunities and advantages not only for the players but also for top clubs across the country.

“When I look at some of the guys who we might not even be aware of it, like some of the Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs younger players I see are in the UJ squads and they're also playing DStv Diski Challenge at the same time,” he said.

“But it most probably helps the clubs as well because they're getting a smarter footballer."

“From a footballer's point of view, I think one of the things that we've seen in the sport is how the lack of opportunities a lot of our guys get, so education is something that they can use football to get, you know, they can use football to get an education because a lot of these guys get into these universities because of their footballing talents and then they walk out with a degree on top of it.”

He noted that the competition has evolved over the years, becoming bigger, better, and more competitive than before.

“You know, Varsity Football also, when you look at just the competition, how it's changed, you know, about five, six years, maybe a bit longer, it wasn't necessarily as a higher standard as it is now,” said Delport.

“This is also because we're seeing more professionals or footballers connected with professional clubs involved."

“I mean, obviously you get the easier ones like UP-Tuks who have a professional team and the varsity team. You know, we're standing here at Stellenbosch, and I look around and it's not just even the players - Evangelos Vellio [Stellenbosch Second Assistant Coach], who's the assistant here at Stellies, he was the varsity coach for UP-Tuks and then got promoted and then basically came across here.I mean, he's become one of the top development coaches, so it's also an opportunity for a lot of coaches. We've seen the NWU coach move to professional football, and we've seen more situations like that.”

Fixtures: HERE  

Tickets: HERE.

By: Ayanda Frances Felem