SuperSport United’s Aubrey Modiba, pictured, and Maritzburg United chairman Farook Kadodia have something in common: They both want to use their success from Nedbank football initiatives to build activity “courts’’ for their respective institutions.
Modiba’s graduation from the Nedbank Ke Yona Team Search has already proven to be a success story both on and off the pitch.
In the 2016/17 season - his first with SuperSport - the 22-year-old was instrumental in the Nedbank Cup triumph and securing a spot in the Caf Confederations Cup final.
This season, he won the MTN8 Trophy and played an integral part in saving the club from relegation from the PSL.
Off the field, he’s recently given back to his former school Makgefola Primary in Polokwane a multipurpose sports court worth R1.2-million, courtesy of Nedbank and the Sports Trust.
The Matshelapata-born winger believes the court will help local children reach their dreams like he did.
“Giving back with a multipurpose court means the world to me,” he said.
“I’ve got no words, really. I am so grateful to Nedbank and the Sports Trust. I just hope that they continue doing initiatives like this especially for people who hail from rural areas because no one knew my home town until the unveiling of the court.
“The court will help the children a lot in achieving what they want to achieve. It does not only cater for soccer but also other activities they need. I am happy that Nedbank didn’t focus on me being in their soccer industry, but they made the court accessible to different sports too.’’
Meanwhile, Maritzburg could be in line to be the next football fraternity to be shaped by one of South Africa’s corporate banks if they win the Nedbank Cup against Free State Stars tonight (kick-off at 7pm) at Cape Town Stadium. This will be the club’s maiden cup final since its inception 30 years ago. Kadodia says that bagging the R7-million pay-cheque will go a long way to renovating their home ground, Harry Gwala Stadium, that only has a roof covering the grandstand.
“That'd be my number one priority (to fully revamp the Stadium if we win the Nedbank Cup),” Kadodia told my colleague Lungani Zama who’s based in Durban, as they toured the stadium. “If we could finish this stadium, we could have a capacity of 18000 people here, and that would make a huge difference. From a commercial perspective, investing in a place with a proper stadium is far more appealing to potential partners.
“The stadium was built as a warm-up or training venue for the 2010 World Cup, but it was never fully completed. The money for that project conveniently ran out, and the drive to finish it fizzled out after the end of the World Cup.’’
After an impressive campaign in the Absa Premiership, the Pietermaritzburg-based club will also be hoping lady luck finally smiles on them after losing players Mondli Cele, Mlondi Dlamini and Luyanda Ntshangase in a space of two years. And there’d be no better way to commemorate their former stars than winning the Nedbank Cup.