Ubuntu Football Academy School’s Executive Director Casey Prince has lifted the lid on why the academy continues to thrive, insisting that football is viewed as a tool rather than the final destination.
Prince says that Ubuntu, shaping good people, comes before producing professional players or chasing financial returns.
The Cape Town-based academy has built a strong reputation over the years, producing players such as Munashe Garananga at FC Copenhagen, Antonio Van Wyk at SV Ried, Siviwe Magidigidi at Belgium’s K Beerschot VA, and the late Luke Fleurs, who represented SuperSport United before his tragic passing ahead of a move to Kaizer Chiefs.
Prince says the club’s true measure of success has little to do with contracts or trophies, and far more to do with the lives their players go on to live.
Speaking to FARPost, he explained why Ubuntu continue to prioritise values, education and life skills, even while competing in the demanding ABC Motsepe League.
“We take football very seriously; it is the thing they love the most, but ultimately, we are far more concerned that they are prepared with what we call citizens of significance,” id Prince told FARPost.
“If you’re a pro player of Bafana Bafana player but you’re a terrible human being, it means we failed. But if they are school teachers, amazing husbands or serving their community, then we have been successful. That is our whole purpose.
“We are not going to throw a bunch of money trying to win the ABC Motsepe League and stuff like that. We don’t really have those resources right now. It is not to say we don’t want to be back in professional football one day. It is tough to compete when your players leave every year to study or go play professional football.
“Our aim is to give young players a chance to play senior football. Our ABC team right now is 15 to 16-year-old’s and a few older guys who sort of guide the way,” Prince added.
ON GETTING RETURN ON INVESTMENTS
Prince admits that Ubuntu’s model is not built around financial gain, even though sustainability remains a challenge in South African football.
“The return on investment is watching kids’ lives turn out differently than they would have been if they were not part of us,” he said. “They can get much closer to reaching their full potential in the best possible way. Our model is not based on a financial return.
“Would we like to get a financial return? Yes, because it makes the organisation more sustainable. Unfortunately clubs owners in this country are not really interested in who produced the players, and the rules don’t really protect the academies that are developing players the way that they do in Europe. The club tries to just get over it.
“We are fortunate to have a nice standing relationship with Stellenbosch FC. We get a little bit but it does not cover a small portion of what we spend in one year. I’ll make one player example with Solethu Mabhenu who just joined them. It will increase if he gets success. If he makes the first team and plays more, we do get a little bit more.
Several Ubuntu products are currently part of the Stellenbosch FC setup, including Kyle Bailey and Dejaen Ah Shene.
“It is a club we respect. Their DDC team that won the NEXT Generation tournament in England had 10 players from Ubuntu. That was remarkable. Sending our kids there is something we are happy to do. They are great people. They run the club really well.
“From a playing style standpoint, it is not super aligned. If you send a player there, they have to fit positionally and we have sent a few who did not really fit positionally. So it is tough for them to break through. But that is our won fault. We should probably send them somewhere else. But Stellenbosch is a club we respect. They genuinely care about people,” Prince added.
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