Despite being a talented soccer player, Midrand Spoilers FC midfield maestro Avuyile Mancasa believes some players cannot make ends meet through football alone.
The 23-year-old former Kaalfontein Secondary School learner has been playing ‘the beautiful game’ since the age of five but with the rise of the youth unemployment rate in South Africa, Mancasa saw the need to start a side hustle by selling meat.
“Most wealthy people are into businesses and most of them started small. By the age of 35, most professional soccer players retire or lose contracts with their teams because they are old, and they have to return home without any back-up plan which is why it is important to have a side hustle,” said Mancasa.
He encouraged youth, especially in townships, to start side hustles so that they did not have to depend on anyone else.
“Start something small even if you do not have time to keep an eye on your hustle, one day it will really come in handy.”
Despite pushing his side business, Mancasa still dreams of becoming a professional soccer player.
“Soccer runs in my blood and my desire is still to make it to the professional level. Even if I do not become a professional, I will play this beautiful game till the wheels fall off.”
Mancasa concluded that Spoilers FC was currently preparing for the league season after they were recently knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Lerato Lamola Winter games.
