Young Bafana Academy has – in its short space of existence – achieved way more than many other clubs that have been around for decades.
The Strand-based academy, founded in 2010, is also a non-profit organization (NGO) that is dedicated to the holistic development of children and young people from poor backgrounds in Cape Town, as well as the broader South Africa.
Needless to say, they are making waves. Take for instance their ABC Motsepe League team that won the league title last season against all odds. But before players get promoted to the senior side, they obviously need to be developed through their academy and youth system – and that is where their focus is and the magic happens.
Yes, they might not yet produce as many pro players as academies like Ubuntu to the SA football market, but have bigger fish to fry for Europe – and by the looks of things they too have found the blueprint to make their academy into one of the sought after entities in the Western Cape.
With the vision of its founder Bernardo Steinado, things are falling into place for ‘YB’ (as Bafana is referred to) as they are making a tangible impact to the development in the Helderberg area and the broader footballing sphere.
Some will say the sponsors and financial backing is always a great help, but it is the manner in which Steinado runs the shows that’s impressive. Everyone at the academy knows their role – no chiefs and no ulterior motives.
Situated on the border of Lwandle in Strand, it provides options and an outlet for vulnerable talented footballers to reach their fullest potential – on and off the field. There is a track record of success stories to back this up.
Take the Majavu-twins, Okuhle and Buhle, who were recently snapped up by Mamelodi Sundowns. Not forgetting Eyona Ndondo who played for Cape Town City (debut in the bubble) and Cpt Spurs as a professional.
The academy is also a gateway to Europe as the duo of Donay Poole and Liqhawe Qawu, who have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to go to France and train with one of the top clubs in Ligue1, can testify. Reyden De Reuk also recently jetted off with the SA national under-20 for the Afcon qualifiers.
Regarding matters closer to home, Steinado reiterated that it was important for the academy to qualify for the prestigious Bayhill Premier Cup to be held at the Erica Park in Belhar over the Easter Weekend.
This is thanks to coach Darrion Kemp, who is also making his debut at the Easter Spectacle, who led the academy to their second successive Bayhill tournament and third altogether during the tough and exhausting qualifying campaign.
“Of course, it is the biggest youth tournament in Africa and serves as a platform for our players to grow and develop further and of course to market themselves,” Steinado explained to No Bones with Jones. “This year we have a mixed squad in terms of first years and second years whereas last year we had mainly first years. So, some of the boys are back for their second tournament.
“We have more than a handful of players in the squad who have solid ABC experience because this team has been stocked up with youngsters – and that is why we have the ABC team to further develop our youngsters.
”That said, we have to be at our best as tournament football is always different, you never know…it is short and one loss can change everything depending on what the other teams in the group do.
“So, we are not overconfident. We are going in with an optimistic, realistic fighting chance to go further than last year for sure, but we know tournament football is extremely tough. We will do our best and represent our badge as best as we can,” Steinado concluded.
