Work twice as hard in your come up years

Kgosietsile King Ndlovu, Black Leopards goalkeeper, went to Boikanyo Primary School in Garankuwa, then transitioned to Rosina Sedibane at the age of 14 where he matriculated. His University journey began at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) to study Tourism Management where he also moved to Boston College to study Sports Management and Coaching and graduated there. Football began in Garankuwa for King at an early age, then at 14 he went to trials at Rosina Sedibane where he got picked to join the school. In 2012, he joined TUT for 2 years then joined Roses United - an NFD team – where the team got relegated and he moved to Garankuwa United. Ndlovu played only a season at Garankuwa United, then moved to Jomo Cosmos to the current Black Leopards. Players have different experiences playing in teams, so we picked King’s brain to tell us what he learned from being part of the TUT team, “Playing for TUT helped me a lot you know, I was able to study and do what I love at the same time which could get tough but hard work pays off.” TUT has a reputation of winning the Varsity Cup Tournament over the years, so to uphold that, the pressure mounts on the players as well, “of course there is always pressure playing for a winning team like TUT. We were all scared, as players, because the games were on TV and our team had great players, so I was very blessed to be part of that team.” Kgosietsile tells us about his experience playing in that tournament, “it was very nice because finally my parents could watch me play on TV, which is cool and exposure to professional teams as well.” The lad received Goalkeeper of the tournament, so even though he did not win the entire competition with his team, an expression of gratitude on his individual award was: “winning the goalkeeper of the tournament meant that I was ready for the professional level as I was called up to the national u23 squad.” Being a professional player, an agent is almost a must have because players need to be represented in a good light in their careers, King advices why should one consider signing with an agent and things players should look for before signing a contract with an agent, “The agent conversation is all about trust and loyalty. I am loyal to my manager and he is loyal to me and it is also vital that one reads what the contract says and making sure that you are not robbed.” King had to transition from lower level leagues to the PSL and as he can attest to this, the leagues have different intensities and operate differently as well. He wished he were told: “to work harder when you are still trying to come up because there is no time to be corrected in the PSL, it is all about perfection.” Being in the big league is never an easy task as it seems from afar, however, it is possible just like anything in life that one puts their minds to. Mr. Ndlovu’s position in the field, he says, has taught him that “When you win, it is a team sport, but when you don’t win, it becomes an individual sport. This has taught me to do me and focus and don’t get easily phased.” King says that if he weren’t a footballer then he would be a sport official because of his love for the sport. Thus far in his career, he leaves his note to self: “Work hard, there’s always someone looking up to you.”

Writer : Nomvula Kgoale

IG @NomvulaK_Words

Content compiler: Pogiso P Mokwena