"This Boy Is A Sack!!"

Hi Everyone,

For those that are not aware and read my last blog post, “2017, WHAT A YEAR!!” The team went on to win the finals 4 – 0 against Linhill Celtic. Great performance from the boys, first half you could see the nerves were still evident as we went into the half time break 0 – 0 but fired in 4 goals to seal the double for the season. Was a great way to finally get my hands on some silverware as a coach. Thanks to all those that came out in support, it was much appreciated.

This week’s blog post is not about me but has played a big part of my journey to where I am today, I learnt a lot from this young man as I watched him develop into the player he is today. He would say that I played a big role in where he is but he played a massive role in ensuring that my passion and hunger for the game stays as strong as ever.

It all started in December 1995, when I was blessed with my first sibling. I had just turned 5 years old on 09 December 1995 and just 9 days later, I was gifted with another present of being a big brother to a young baby boy named Brylon Petersen. As you are aware we were brought up in a very soccer orientated family, all we did was play soccer together as he grew older.

Brylon started playing at an early age but he started as a defender. I remember going to watch him play in a 5 a side tournament in Durban. The tournament was taking place at Bayview on the Bluff; these tournaments were always competitive as it was Pietermaritzburg vs Durban. There was this one game I remember in particular. He had received the ball at his goals and he turned looked up and took a shot, now bear in mind this could be under 7 or 8, the ball ended up in the back of the opponents goals, Brylon had just scored a cracker of goal from his own goal posts. I stood there in awe of what I just saw as this was a 6 or 7 year old and he’s kicking the ball like an adult. That was a proud brother moment right there as not many kids I knew at the time could do what Brylon just did.

As he grew older he started gaining weight, not sure if it was baby fat or if he was just enjoying life. At the age of 12 he joined one of the teams from our community that didn’t have a goalkeeper, as we all know the FAT KID goes in the goals, but he volunteered and I don’t think he regrets that decision one bit. I respected his decision as I also wanted to be a goalkeeper, but every time I played goalkeeper my dad would make it known how unhappy he was to see me as a goalkeeper, I don’t blame him at all as it wasted talent.

Brylon was now a goalkeeper so I needed to practice my kicking and he needed to practice saving, we would play in the back yard. Our back yard had a hill, Brylon would stand on the top of the hill and I would shoot from the bottom and that is how he started. At every chance we got we would kick a ball in the back yard and have a competition, he would go in goals I would attempt to score then I would go in goals, obviously the person with the most goals would win. It was sibling rivalry at its best and I enjoyed every minute of it. We would also go jogging a lot, as I would go road running quite often and he always wanted to join me, this one day I allowed him to join and all I said is you better keep up. We were 3 km into our 7.1km jog and Brylon started getting tired, he kept stopping and that was slowing me down, I did the worst thing I could possibly do, I left him and continued with the jog. He pushed through and completed the jog and got home with a smile on his face that is when I saw that I had a soldier on my hands.

There was one training session that I was attending before the big annual Easter tournament in Pietermaritzburg. I was looking for a team as Golden Arrows (team I was playing for at the time) was not participating in any tournament. I had found a team and Brylon was with me for training (always followed me to training which I enjoyed). At the training session we were playing a game and Brylon was the goalkeeper, he was maybe 13 at the time so he was still getting use to this goalkeeper thing and he was training with adults and he was conceding a lot of goals. He had conceded a goal and one of the players said the following “This lytie (boy) is a SACK”. Not that that player was any better than a sack though but we won’t go into that. I could see that that hurt him but the amazing part was, he picked himself up and carried on. He didn’t let what that clown said to him defer him from his dream of one day being the best.

When Brylon turned 15 years old, it was time to make a decision as to where is he going to play to further his career. Coach Keith Abrahams (which had coached Brylon as he was a goalkeeper in his playing days) had approached a few parents from Brencon FC to take the young boys to play in the SAB Castle League (4th Tier SAFA League) but with help from some older players. Most of the parents thought Coach Keith was crazy as it was too soon for them. My parents had approached me and we had a discussion as to whether Brylon should leave junior football and start playing senior soccer as I was currently playing in the SAB Castle league at the time. I felt it was the right time for him to take his career to the next level and I would get to play alongside my brother.

Here I was in my element as I was playing in the same team as my younger brother. Brylon was the youngest player in the league at the tender age of 15 years; it was a big adjustment for him. He cried almost every game that he conceded a goal, I had to go and pick him up and motivate him and tell him to keep going, and it is far from the end. We played one season together before I left and went to play in the UK, there he was playing in this league without me which was a bold step for him but I also knew I left him in capable hands of some quality players from the community and Coach Keith. This team ended 4th in the league which I think was a good finish for such a young team at the time.

On my return from the UK, a lot had changed in Brylon’s life as he had taken on the role as big brother to our youngest brother, Blake and I could see that he had matured. It was onto the next season, I was injured so I couldn’t play for the first six months on my return. I had the privilege to watch my younger brother do what he does best SAVE GOALS. Brylon was still playing in the SAB Castle League and still the youngest player in the league at the age of 16, the only goalkeeper of the team and still abit chubby. As the league progressed I watched in AWE as he played and started losing weight and gaining so much confidence. Brylon went on to win the SAB Castle League with Brazil FC but I remember one game in particular. It was the playoff game between two regions in the Msunduzi area; the winning team would represent Pietermaritzburg at the Provincial playoffs in Ladysmith. I was on the bench for this game and I watched Brylon do things I thought was not possible. It was 1 – 1, we were in the dying minutes of extra time, one of the most prolific strikers in the league had a 1 on 1 opportunity, Brylon had rushed out and I felt it was too soon, actually everyone did, but what happened next amazed not only me but everyone In that stadium. The striker controlled the ball but it was still bouncing abit and he tried to put the ball over Brylon, it was a definite goal, I mean Brylon was so far off his line, but this goalkeeper our ours jumped up into the air and I kid you not he caught the ball in the air with one hand. To me it looked as if his hand stretched more than it could ever stretch, it was longer than usual. Brylon had saved us and onto a penalty shootout we go, Brylon goes on to save two penalties which takes this team to the provincial playoffs. A player once called a SACK, a player that was once chubby, a player that had more confidence in himself that anyone else had. The transformation was in progress he was becoming the amazing player I knew he could. That team went on to win the provincial playoffs and take the team to the ABC Motsepe League with Brylon as the goalkeeper. A 16 year old player winning the league and the playoffs was a big achievement in my eyes.

BUT, this was only the start of what was to come. Brylon was in grade 11, he was 16 years old and he got a call up to Kaizer Chiefs first team (yes he trained alongside Khune) as they heard about his achievements at Brazil FC. He spent two weeks there and had impressed the then goalkeeper coach Rainer but due to his excess weight and the fact that he was in school they had sent him home.

In his matric year, he was training with me at Carter High School (where I was currently coaching). Maritzburg United had been training on the school grounds at the time and while I was doing extra work with my team, Brylon would always come and join the training sessions, the then head coach had approached me and asked if I knew a Petersen boy that was on trial at Kaizer Chiefs, in that moment there was instant tears that came to my eyes and I told him that he was my brother and he is currently training with me now. I introduced Brylon to the coach and he trained with the team for some time before starting his matric exams. Brylon completed his matric with quite a few distinctions and went on to attend Wits University where he started studying engineering. He continued playing soccer at Wits for the varsity side and eventually got his second call up to Kaizer Chiefs where he was turned down yet again but started playing for their Castle league team while playing for the Wits Varsity Team.

He was part of the team that made it to the semi-finals of the varsity cup where they lost to UCT on penalties. Brylon had saved two penalties but his players were not assisting him and missed 3 which caused them to miss out on the finals of the Varsity Cup.

June 2016, Brylon was given his 3rd opportunity on trial at Kaizer Chiefs first team. He spent more than a month on trial before they finally made a decision and finally all the hard work that he had put in, all his determination, all the negative comments thrown his way and all the fat slurs that were thrown to his face had FINALLY PAID OFF. He was offered a contract at his childhood team, at the team he grew up supporting. From the fat kid that plays in goals to being apart one of the best teams in South Africa has to an achievement. For any young kid out there that HARDWORK, DETERMINATION and A NEVER GIVE UP ATTITUDE will get you far.

Brylon Petersen is currently a Kaizer Chiefs player and is still studying engineering through Wits University. I sit and wonder how does he do it but he has proved most South Africans wrong that getting an education and pushing for your dream is possible.

Keep a look out for the name Petersen because in a few years you will be hearing it a lot because this young man is going to take the nation by storm ALL IN GODS TIMING!!!!

Brice Petersen (Coach B)