“Coach Nhlapho always encourages us to stick together as a team, motivates us and pushes us to be better players and respectful kids at our homes and in the community,” said Shawn Carelse, who plays for the Disco Dazzlers U/15, owned and coached by Sunnyboy “Sammy” Nhlapho.
Born and raised in the dusty streets of Wesselton in Ermelo, Sammy recalls some of his childhood memories when soccer was the only thing he lived for.
“I met soccer at the tender age of eight, when we were introduced to each other by the late Mr Joe Mngomezulu who was a team manager for Pubs United FC and who was into development. He was also known for getting kids off the street to a soccer field. He took us on a number of field trips to Johannesburg and other places in Gauteng where we played in the lower leagues,” said Sammy.
He is following in the footsteps of his father, Fanie Simon Nhlapho, who was well known with the Tinny Rockies FC.
Sammy’s soccer talent was recognised at an early age when he also played with his left-footed brother known as “Rover Material” and “Cassa Blanca”, among other nicknames.
The multi-talented Sammy was also popular in the music scene and he remembers his days in the Shell Road to Fame talent competition. He was lead singer of the group Amazini Queens and the Philipines and finished in the finals of the competition along with now well known musicians such as Ringo Madlingozi and Rebecca Malope. However, he had to make a difficult decision after completing his studies at a teachers’ college to either continue singing or play soccer. Needless to say, he chose the latter.
Armed with the nickname “Disco” he went to play for professional side Benoni United where he met a number of then professional players as well as stars such as Happy Cow Mkomo, Liter Later and his brother Half Liter and William Makhura,among others.
“There are so many professional games I can think of, but one that stands out was the Mainstay Competition where I was playing for Shepherd FC, a breakaway team from the Mighty ABC, which was a given grudge match. I travelled the whole night from Jo’burg back to Ermelo on a Friday evening to be with the team the next day. The coach wouldn’t field me because I had not trained with the team the previous week. One of our players was injured in the second half and I took it upon myself to substitute for the player against the coach’s instructions when we were 2-0 down. I went on to score three goals.”
In March 2013 Sammy decided it was time to give back all the knowledge and experience he had acquired to a young side he named Disco Dazzlers U/10, U/13 and U/17. His passion was and remains development and he believes that grass-roots level is the best place to start grooming the players and instil respect and discipline.
His assistant coach, Mpheme, speaks highly of working with Sammy, saying that he has learned a lot from him about soccer and life in general.
The players the newspaper spoke to were happy to be part of his team and said he always makes them feel good about themselves, disciplines and encourages them to develop self- confidence.
The father of four also spoke about the financial challenges that development teams are facing. He explained how difficult it gets at times when he has to split his income between his team and his family, but because of the love of soccer he remains undeterred and his family is also supportive of his team.
“My wish for my team and other development teams is for the community, business people, parents, local and district municipalities to lend a helping hand to improve our standards and help these young kids who believe in us. Transport, playing kit and training material are challenges and we need all the help we can get,” the coach said.
Sammy calls on parents to support their children by coming to watch them play their local games as it would mean a lot to the children. He also spoke about the drugs that are killing the youth and whose talent is perishing with the drugs.
“There are no financial gains in what we do, but we do it for the love and passion of the kids and soccer. As for the municipality, we understand their financial position, but we would really appreciate every little contribution,” said Sammy.
He thanked everyone who has supported him and his team so far, such as Mr Sipho Ngwenya, a teacher at Lindile Secondary School, who always goes out of his way to assist him with transport, Pick n Pay, Rev Pat Khanye, Mr Linda Sibeko and Sizwe Moshe.
In conclusion he said he thinks crime could be reduced if business people also invested in sports.
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