JARRED MEYER OVERCOMES A BROKEN LEG TO ACHIEVE A BOYHOOD DREAM Jarred Meyer is a rare commodity in South African football and has attracted a lot of attention since joining PSL side Jomo Cosmos. That’s because Meyer is one of a few white players currently playing in South Africa’s professional football league. Recent years have seen a dearth in white footballing talent and many experts and football pundits have been scratching their heads trying to figure out why this talent is not coming through the ranks anymore compared to previous years where we had the likes of Mark Fish, Neil Tovey, Eric Tinkler, Andrew Tucker to name but a few. No one has been able to find the answer to this million dollar question but 23 year-old Jarred Meyer is perhaps the pioneer of the resurgence. Jarred has shown great resolve and courage to overcome a broken leg and to finally achieve his dream of playing professional football, a dream that he has achieved through the Nedbank Cup Ke Yona Team Search. “I started at Bloemfontein Celtic with the under 17’s and then under 19’s but I could not break into the first team, so I went to play in the Third Division and that’s where I was spotted by the then Free State Stars coach Steve Komphela who is now at Kaizer Chiefs.” Meyer finally believed that his dream had come true after signing a pre-contract with Ealla Koto but his joy was short-lived when a horrendous tackle at training left him with a broken leg and he was eventually released by Free State Stars. “That was a huge disappointment for me, I had to come back home to Bloem and I went back to my studies and played a bit of amateur football for Baps United when I recovered and during this time I managed to obtain my degree, but when I was about to start looking for a job, the Nedbank Cup Ke Yona Team Search opportunity came along and I thought to myself let me give it a try.” Meyer is grateful for the support of his parents who encouraged him to give football one more try and little did he know that a few months down the line he would be signed by a legendary South African football figure and a man renowned for spotting raw talent, Jomo Sono, who offered him a contract. “The Nedbank Cup Ke Yona Team Search opened a lot of opportunities for me, when I was given a chance to train with Cosmos, I grabbed it with both hands and I was very surprised when a man of Jomo Sono’s standing said he wants me in his team and the rest is history but there is still a long way to go as I want to be a regular in the PSL.” Meyer credits and applauds Nedbank for making his dream of playing professional football come true, “I already had a job lined up for me and I would be working now if it wasn’t for the Nedbank Cup and I’m so appreciative of this opportunity and finally realising my lifelong dream of playing professional football. I can safely say that I am proud of myself and a true example that hard work, dedication and perseverance does pay off”… IAN CHUKWU CHIKOHWA ON THE SMS THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE When aspiring footballer Ian Chikohwa sent an SMS to enter the Nedbank Cup Ke Yona Team Search, little did he know that he would go on to captain the side, be signed by a professional team and most importantly to him and his mother, be able to study further without paying for it, all because of the power of football and the Nedbank Cup Ke Yona Team Search.” The Johannesburg based striker began playing the beautiful game in primary school and continued playing after high school as he joined Mpumalanga Black Aces’ under 19 side. It was during this time that an opportunity to trial for the 2015 Nedbank Cup Ke Yona Team came along and Chikohwa typed the SMS that would change his life forever. “Honestly when I entered the competition, I didn’t think that I would go far but I surprised myself with my performance and I was selected for the team.” Not only did Chikohwa make the final cut but he was also made captain by the coaches of the Nedbank Cup Ke Yona Team, an achievement he will treasure for the rest of his life. “I have always been a leader and captain in my teams but to be given the responsibility by respected coaches like Shakes Mashaba is something that I will never forget and I represented the class of 2015 with pride.” Chikohwa who is an avid house music and hip hop listener has now been snapped up by the University of Pretoria after impressing the Tuks coaches when the Nedbank Cup presented the trialists with a chance to try out at PSL clubs. He says this has made his mother very happy in more ways than they could have ever imagined. “Signing for Tuks has given me an opportunity to study because my contract says I can choose a course of my choice and they will pay for it and my mother is very happy because she could not afford to take me to University after I completed high school and she has told me to make the most of this chance that’s come our way.” Chikohwa who is known as Chukwu in footballing circles, after the legendary Nigerian that played for Sundowns, has still not decided which course he will undertake but he says it will be either Sports Management or Sports Science because he still wants to be involved with the game long after his playing days are over and he is grateful to Nedbank for making his dreams come true on and off the field of play as he will now be able to balance his love for football with his studies which he has been yearning to complete. AUBREY MAPHOSA –FROM NEDBANK CUP HOPEFUL TO NATIONAL TEAM PLAYER IN A FEW MONTHS Aubrey Maphosa Modiba is a name that’s already on the lips of many South Africans. The youngster’s meteoric rise has captured the imagination of football pundits, fans and experts, most notably Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba who was so impressed with Maphosa’s exploits during the Ke Yona Team Search that he immediately recommended him to the national under 20 side. The diminutive left-back seems to have been destined for greater things at an early age and he was recruited by the prestigious School of Excellence while still in school and that is where he honed his skills before entering the Nedbank Cup Ke Yona Team Search. “I was very happy at the School of Excellence but I saw the Nedbank Ke Yona Team Search as an opportunity to fast-track my dream of playing in the PSL and I wasn’t surprised when I made the final squad because I knew I had the talent and I knew what I was capable of and I worked very hard to achieve this.” The confident Maphosa’s phenomenal rise did not end there and while still in camp with the Ke Yona team, he was called up to the National under 20 squad under the watchful eye of coaches Thabo Senong and Shakes Mashaba, but even this did not faze him, “I always knew that I would play for my country and it was a dream that I’ve had for a long time. When I was still in Grade 11, I wrote on my Facebook wall that one day I would play for the National team and now I have realised that dream and when I was called up I was ready for the challenge.” Maphosa says his family is his backbone and has always supported his football dream and that’s why they allowed him to leave home early to join the School of Excellence where he was a boarder. “Being away from my family at an early age made me stronger and knowing that I had their support encouraged me to go even further in football.” Maphosa has gone on to become a regular for Amajita and it was no surprise that he was signed by PSL side Mpumalanga Black Aces where is already getting game time ahead of more established and seasoned players. But football is not all that Maphosa is passionate about. The 20-year-old says he is an aspiring sports journalist and would like to sit on the other side of the fence when he finally hangs up his boots and he wants to use his time in football to learn as much as he can about this trade. A regular at Mpumalanga Black Aces and a vital cog in the National under 20’s journey to the African Youth Cup of Nations in 2015, Maphosa says all this would not have been possible without the help of the Nedbank Cup Ke Yona Team Search and he encourages other aspiring footballers to make use of this wonderful opportunity given by Nedbank. “The Nedbank Cup has opened so many doors for me, now I travel the continent and the world with the under 20’s and I am rubbing shoulders with my idols every weekend in the PSL and I couldn’t have asked for more.” Maphosa who graduated from the class of 2014 is seen as one of the brightest prospects to ever come out of the highly successful Nedbank Cup Ke Yona Team Search and a move to Europe is certainly not too far away for this immensely talented player.