When Wayde van Niekerk casually strolls past midway through an interview at the Kaizer Chiefs Village in Naturena, you’d be forgiven for doing a double-take. For Ethan Chislett, it was one of those surreal moments, the kind that quietly sums up just how massive the club he’s joined is.
Van Niekerk, renowned for setting the world record in the 400 metres, was at the Village on Friday. “People like that come just to visit,” Chislett is heard telling the interviewer, almost in disbelief. “It just shows how big the club is.”
And that sense of scale has been a recurring thing in Chislett’s early days at Naturena. The 27-year-old didn’t just come home to South Africa for a change of scenery. Just months before making the switch, he explained to FARPost why his move from England carried a deeper ambition.
In essence, his expectation was that it would put him firmly in the conversation for selection for Bafana Bafana. And what better stage than Chiefs, a club where every touch, every run, every missed chance is amplified?
But after just four official appearances, he’s quickly discovered that big stages don’t always come with smooth beginnings. His first few months were more about adjusting than announcing himself. Minutes were limited, as game time was hard to come by, and the weight of expectation lingered. For a player used to expressing himself freely and scoring goals, it became a lesson in patience.
“It’s been about learning and a journey… I’ve only shown a glimpse of what I can do,” Chislett says.
CHISLETT ON HIS SOWETO DERBY EXPERIENCE
And if ever there was a crash course in South African football culture, Chislett got it. After his debut against Stellenbosch FC on 24 February 2026, he had little time to process it before being thrown into the deep end in the Soweto Derby. One of the continent’s biggest fixtures became his second appearance. With barely 60 minutes of Betway Premiership football under his belt, he faced considerable expectation.
Chiefs had just been knocked out of the CAF Confederation Cup after a 2-1 away defeat to Zamalek. They had also lost 2-1 to Stellies at home and desperately needed to redeem themselves.
“People explained to me how big [the derby] it was. But I don’t think I truly grasped it until I got there and felt the vibe,” explains the Durban-born midfielder.
It was the kind of moment that not only tests a player but transforms them. The noise, the colour, the expectation, and the aftermath following a 3-0 demolition at the hands of bitter rivals Orlando Pirates.
He admits it’s not something you experience in England’s lower leagues. Not even close.
Now, slowly but surely, things are beginning to click. The former AFC Wimbledon playmaker speaks like a player who knows his moment is coming, not out of arrogance, but out of self-awareness. He’s getting into the right positions, making the right runs, arriving late in the box, the hallmarks of a midfielder who knows how to hurt teams. The goals haven’t come yet, but he’s not panicking.
YEARNING TO SCORE GOALS FOR KAIZER CHIEFS
“I think that I’m my own harshest critic. I always have been. I want to score goals, and I’ve always been that type of player where when things drop, when things start to drop, I think it’s like a confidence thing almost. When I start to score, I end up scoring more goals.”
It’s a familiar pattern for players of his type. Confidence breeds output, and output fuels confidence. For now, the important part is that he’s in the right places at the right times. “And that’s how I score my goals… so it’s just a matter of time.”
Perhaps the biggest adjustment hasn’t been tactical or physical, but cultural. At Amakhosi, anonymity doesn’t exist. Every move is watched. Every performance dissected. And even off the pitch, the badge doesn’t come off.
“Here, everyone knows who you are. You’re representing the club at all times,” he adds. It’s a responsibility he seems to embrace rather than resist, a sign of a player beginning to understand what it truly means to wear gold and black.
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