Benny Gondwe is nearing the completion of his first semester at Rhodes University, and if all goes according to plan it will also be his last semester. After his first attempt was cut short, the young soccer wizard hopes to leave South Africa once more in order to pursue his dream of playing professionally in the UK.
Last year Gondwe, who is studying towards his Bachelor of Arts in HKE this year, decided to throw caution to the wind and find out just how far he could take his soccer career. He moved to Birmingham, England where he attempted to break into the professional soccer scene. "I decided that I would rather come home having tried and failed, and know where I stand with my football; Gondwe explained.
He managed to secure a try-out with local club Bromsgrove Sporting FC and this initial evaluation then developed into a trial period which lasted three months. "Players were coming in around me and getting contracts in as little as two weeks, so at that point I began to question whether or not I was going to make it,” Gondwe explained.
However, the coaching staff assured him that his efforts were not going unnoticed and he was eventually offered a contract. This was largely due to Gondwe's continued hard work and impeccable training attendance record.
Gondwe says that he admires the way that English players are coached and conditioned from youth teams up to first teams. "In the UK, professionalism is drilled into players from a young age, but in South Africa players only take things seriously if they hope to play professionally," said Gondwe. Gondwe's own professionalism and talent impressed the coaching staff of the club and he began earning a regular spot in the match-day team - a dream come true after a year of climbing up the ranks. I decided that I would rather come home having tried and failed, and know where I stand with my football. Benny Gondwe Unfortunately, by November 2013 his one-year Visa had expired.
That is why Gondwe decided to enrol at Rhodes, in order to get on with his life in case he was not able to return to England. However, he still hopes to go back - albeit not to Bromsgrove Sporting FC. Even though he thoroughly enjoyed his time with the club, Gondwe was impressed by what he saw in the English university leagues while he was in Birmingham. In April this year, he received an offer to attend the University of Bedfordshire to play soccer when their new academic year begins in September.
If all goes well, this will qualify Gondwe for a student Visa and he will be able to pick up where he left off last November. Until then, he will continue to feature for the Rhodes First XI in the USSA qualifiers and for the Phoenix Knights in the Internal League. Benny Gondwe is looking to pursue a professional football career in the UK.
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