Whenever the name of Alcardo Van Graan pops up in a conversation, the first thing that comes to mind is his cheeky backheel for Ajax Cape Town against Manchester United back in 2012.
The Red Devils would eventually level the match and this international friendly ended 1-1 in the Cape Town Stadium – and the rest is.
Alas, these days the legacy of the 37-year-old former Idas Valley AFC, Nelsons FC, Maties FC, Battswood, Vasco da Gama, Milano FC, Stellenbosch FC and United FC striker has taken a rather surprising new direction – one with greater responsibility and purpose.
The Idas Valley-born former pro has developed an appetite and a vision to not only give back to his community where it all started but also to create future sporting stars through his AVG Coaching (Academy) which operates in conjunction with Curro School in Somerset-West.
Since the academy’s inception in 2018, it has gained popularity and credibility beyond its wildest dreams – but not without its fair share of challenges and scares of course.
“I started out with only four kids and the initiative looked a bit daunting, but I was committed nonetheless,” Van Graan explained to No Bones with Jones. “Each year we built slowly and numbers kept increasing.
“Sometimes I wonder, am I doing the right thing? I also knew I wanted to give back through soccer and that kept me going. When Covid hit in 2020 I immediately thought that a small business like mine would never survive, but through the help of parents and Curro Somerset West, my business luckily survived,” he added.
Besides football, Van Graan’s coaching includes other sporting codes such as netball and athletics as part of their collaboration with the school to unearth talented sport stars.
He proudly stated that the academy has come a long way if he reflects on all the trials and tribulations.
“In 2023 we celebrated our five years with our development and to us that is a massive achievement for such a small company,” he pointed out. “We ended the 2023 sports year with 137 kids in our soccer academy.
“At the moment we don’t have any sponsors yet and everything we do has to come out of the academy’s account. I currently have 8 coaches working five days a week with the under-14 and under-16 sides,” he added.
Van Graan acknowledged that growing up in an impoverished community made him appreciate and count his blessings everyday and vowing to one day try and make a difference in the lives of the needy.
“And what better way than through football, I mean it is something that I am passionate about,” the former pro player said. “And in our area, we have so much talent that falls through the cracks because of various factors, you know. “Therefore, we go into the underprivileged communities and give coaching lessons to them and we provide them with a meal.
He further explained: “We also have a shoe drive every year where we collect unwanted shoes and distribute them to the less fortunate kids in our local communities. We also pay for transport for the community kids on match days as we understand the need in our communities,” Van Graan concluded.
