A WorldCoach of the First Hour

John Sibeko, South Africa

Goal Click and the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) teamed up to tell the inside story of KNVB WorldCoaches programme in South Africa, through the eyes of local coach John Sibeko in Hillbrow, Johannesburg.

KNVB WorldCoaches is based on the Dutch football philosophy that children learn to play while having fun. WorldCoaches are local community coaches educated to organize football activities in a way that contributes to fostering personal development, health and social cohesion for children and youths from disadvantaged backgrounds. KNVB has educated more than 15,000 WorldCoaches worldwide, of which a quarter are female coaches. 

In South Africa following the 2010 World Cup, KNVB WorldCoaches has educated about 2,500 local community leaders to become WorldCoaches for the townships and local youth clubs.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your current football life?

My name is John Themba Sibeko, popularly known as “Bull”. I was born and bred in a little township called Vosloorus in the east of Johannesburg in South Africa. The nickname “Bull” was given to me at a young age by football fans because of the physical strength I possessed and displayed in the field of play. I am also a former high school educator, a qualified football coach, and a “WorldCoach of the 1st hour” in South Africa. This term was coined as I was one of the first WorldCoaches to be identified in the country. 

I am currently coordinating the WorldCoaches program at the Cruyff Court facility in Hillbrow, a football pitch donated by the Dutch national team in 2010 as a World Cup legacy project. I am a WorldCoaches co-instructor for coaches’ development in South Africa and the regional technical committee member of the South African Football Association (SAFA).

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?

Most of the photos show the Orange Cruyff Court, participants in the WorldCoaches program, members of different surrounding communities and local football teams. The wider meaning was to highlight the huge gap that still exists between the haves and have nots in society in terms of facilities, equipment, development, and safety.

I wanted to show the power of sports (mainly football) for building sustainable communities and changing lives, to show the impact of the Orange Cruyff Court and the WorldCoaches program in the community, and to highlight some of the success stories from the work that we do in the community. I also wanted to highlight the popularity of street football in our communities and the gender inequality.

Through WorldCoaches we can work with other community organisations. During our local tournaments, we invite other sports (such as karate) in the neighbourhood to display and promote their activities for the community, to give the youth options to participate in sports. These sports can use the facility when hosting bigger events.

Are there any powerful stories connected with any of the individuals you photographed?

One success story that has emotionally impacted me and will remain in my memory for a very long time is the sad story of an 11-year-old boy who was sexually abused for a long time, which I discovered during our program and had to intervene. The boy was badly abused and was hospitalised and taken to a place of safety, and the perpetrator was arrested. The boy came back into the program to rehabilitate and recover. 

Today this young man is volunteering to speak and motivate others in the program through his painful experience. His journey is not yet complete, as he wants to compose a song about the impact the program has had in his personal life. This young man has written me a personal letter, thanking me for the role I have played towards helping him during the dark times of his life.

There is another amazing young boy who is an amputee. He was participating in a popular local game in which youngsters run inside and outside a moving train, sometimes running on top of the moving train at high speed. On the day of his injury, he fell underneath the train, which led to the amputation of his leg. Today, he is one of the most popular boys in the neighbourhood and participates as a player using crutches!

What is your favourite photo? Why?

This was a popular Annual Football Tournament in one of the townships. It was during half-time, and the team was receiving instructions from the coach - and fans were participating in the process, which is very interesting!

These tournaments are organised in the communities, especially in the townships, during the festive period when most of our people are on holiday and schools are closed. The games are exciting, highly organised, very competitive, and fun! The games have been in existence for the past 30 years and are characterised by huge crowds and maximum entertainment. The games are mostly played in the open gravel pitches and fields.

These games form part of our heritage as blacks in South Africa because they are a substitute for our “Street Football”, which over the years has gradually been disappearing. The games show off sublime and sleek football skills, lots of creativity, exciting football commentary, vibrant crowds, and showcase local talent. They are often attended by former and current professional football players and celebrities. They get publicity from local and national media, and in the past few years we have seen key community stakeholders supporting these games: the government, police, local Football Association, businesses, and other community partners.

I wanted to outline the uniqueness of such tournaments and the freedom spectators enjoy. For the supporters it is football without boundaries because they get to experience football in a different way. They are just a metre away from the action, as there is no fence separating spectators and players. After a goal is scored fans normally run inside the field to celebrate with the players for a short time. During half-time supporters get to follow and surround their team to witness how the coach does his coaching. I was also fascinated by the way the coach improvises by using water bottles in the absence of a coaching board to drive home his points.

What has been your football journey up until now?

Like in any football match, my football journey is characterised by phases and moments, some being good and exciting, some bad and regrettable. Connecting the dots can only be achieved by looking backwards.

As a player, during our era, football was the only sport that was available in our neighbourhood, and street football was the order of the day. It was a tool for social cohesion, community development, talent detection and development. It was also a means of escape from the hardships of life and a platform for socialising. Street football was played everywhere, any time, before school, during short and long breaks, after school and in the team.

That is how I got spotted as a youngster by Boksburg United Football Club, one of the most powerful and popular teams in my neighbourhood, which went on to almost became a professional outfit. I grew and became one of the household names in my community, and in my view that is where I played my best football and where I grew both as a football player and into the person I am today. From that moment on, a few professional teams started to pay attention. 

It was very difficult for me to play for a professional team, as I would have loved, as my parents always prioritised education more than anything. Therefore, football had to wait until I finished my schooling years, and I ultimately joined a professional team (Witbank Aces FC) at the age of 22 and went on to play at that level for 10 years as captain. To date I still salute my parents for insisting on education first, as most players at the time played football at the expense of education, and sadly after their football careers ended, they had no plan B and a fall-back position. Most of them even today are still unemployed and are struggling.

Looking back, being a professional player was both exciting and very hard as I was also an educator at a local secondary school. I was juggling two careers – I had to teach during the day and in the afternoon travel 300 km just to attend a 2-hour training session. My family life took a hell of a knock as I was always absent and travelling during weekends around the country attending matches. I was a sole breadwinner, paying for a bond and funding for my wife’s tertiary education. Fortunately, I had a very strong and supportive wife, who always supported and encouraged me in the process. I also had to navigate my way through the heightened political violence that was happening in our communities at the time, especially when returning home after training sessions.

The worst times were playing football under the state of emergency, having to deal with football related injuries by myself at own expense and not being rewarded properly for our efforts at professional level – and seeing our team getting relegated from the professional league because of poor management and lack of leadership.

Some of my best times were the official handing over of the Orange Cruyff Court facility to the community of Hillbrow by the Dutch national team, legends, and the late Johan Cruyff – and being invited to the Cruyff Foundation Seminar to make a presentation on the impact of the Cruyff Court on the community and sharing a stage with Johan Cruyff.

Why is football important for your community and for South African society?

Football is the cheapest form of entertainment! It is a platform for meeting others, helps communication and mobilisation, and can be a home away from home. The number of youths participating in football daily at the Orange Cruyff Court in Hillbrow is very high. In our community you will find a high number of youths playing football in open parks and in the streets.

Over the past few years, I have noticed a positive behaviour change among the youth attending because we don’t only focus on skills and talent, but we coach beyond football. Each tournament we play is tailored to address specific problems. We have Games that address issues of social cohesion, anti-drugs, HIV, gender-based violence and heritage. Parent participation and support (which was very poor in the past) is gradually showing signs of improvement.

Football can be a unifying factor, a means of social mobilisation and development, and a catalyst towards conflict resolution. It is a great tool for communication, community building and social transformation.

In 2010, history was made when South Africa hosted the biggest football showpiece in the world and the first FIFA World Cup on the African continent. Our country demonstrated a unity of purpose and the spirit of Ubuntu in making sure that success was guaranteed not only on the field of play, but in socio-political and economic areas. The WorldCoaches program is a 2010 Legacy Project and continuing to impact and unite communities using football, especially the disadvantaged.

What are the opportunities for female footballers in South Africa?

In the past, opportunities were very minimal as football was viewed as a male sport, hence we saw that space was being dominated by males. In the past few years, we saw a growth of women involved in the South African Football Association (SAFA) leadership. At club level there is still a minimal number of women involved. However, with the recent professionalisation of women’s football, including funding and TV coverage, the number of women players is on the rise. 

SAFA has worked hard to develop female coaches around the country. Again, the KNVB WorldCoaches program has facilitated courses for women around the country. However, much still needs to be done at grassroots level and schools towards growing and popularising women’s football.

Getting girls and women involved is still very challenging, though it is happening. It is important to be mindful about the safety issues in our neighbourhood Hillbrow, which is a main contributory factor towards non-involvement by females.

Currently we have reintroduced the aerobics marathon, which is very popular. This event takes place at the Orange Cruyff Court twice every month. We use the space to mobilise women and girls to join the football program. We have also invited some of the current Women’s National Team members to inspire the women and girls.

How do the children that you train benefit from playing football?

The children are experiencing quality coaching in a safe and quality environment where everyone is valued. Members from different cultures collaborate, share experiences, and make lasting friendships. They are also given opportunities to lead activities by themselves and learn from each other, as well as receiving mentorship from the coach.

What impact has the WorldCoaches programme had on you?

Transformation and growth. WorldCoaches gave me an opportunity to continue to use all the skills and capabilities I have as a former educator using football. It also transformed my narrow understanding of how football can effectively be utilised in many spheres to build communities. 

In my country football is often still viewed as something that has only to do with technical skills and scoring goals. In many schools more focus is given to academic delivery and sports is reduced and viewed as a “nice to have”. Most school coaches find it difficult to perform as coaches, as they are not given the necessary support in terms of workload, resources, and development. That used to frustrate me a lot when I was still an educator. 

The WorldCoaches program has broadened understanding of how football can be used in our communities. Working with experienced KNVB Instructors over the years as a co-instructor has increased my personal confidence and made me a better facilitator.

The programme has given me the courage to work in the margins of our society and in places that sometimes can be very dangerous to be in. This programme has also taught me that one does not need public office to do good and make a difference in the community - a good heart and a strong mind is what one needs. Seeing kids learning, growing, and transforming in front of your eyes every day gives me hope and courage to develop more volunteers to sustain the legacy, even if I am gone one day.

What does football mean to you? What ambitions do you have for the future?

To me, football is a way of life, a nation builder, a unifier, and a form of expression. As Ban Ki Moon (former UN Secretary-General) once said:

“The game of football is a sport of simplicity and finesse. It has a global reach, it is gender-transcendent, and can virtually be played anywhere. Whether at a large-scale sporting event like the FIFA World Cup, or an impromptu game on the streets, football has the power to instil confidence, hope, and pride in the underdog, and promote teamwork and support.”

Being a WorldCoach for the past twelve years has made me a better person. My ambitions as WorldCoach are to continue to serve and build communities. I also want to mobilise all WorldCoaches in South Africa to create an U15 WorldCoaches Tournament for boys and girls, regionally and nationally. I wish one day to send a talented kid from the WorldCoaches program in South Africa to an academy in Netherlands to pursue their football career and education.

My future ambitions are to advance my coaching career with a UEFA License. I want to head the National Academy. Through KNVB WorldCoaches I would like to apply for a mentorship program at one of the best academies in Holland (Ajax, Feyenoord) to learn in depth about the day-to-day running of the academy (from technical knowledge to administration). This would be a launching pad for one to the next phase of my football journey.

I would like to be Technical Director for SAFA – it would be the pinnacle of my football journey – to do this, one needs support and the necessary drive.

What do you think the future looks like for football in South Africa? What do you want to change?

Despite all the raw talent we have, South Africa still has a long way to go in terms of matching the international standard of football. I would like to see proper player development structures and a more clearly defined South African football philosophy. I would want to see proper football academies and more qualified grassroots coaches.