#Ubuntu10Year: 2015
Casey and Michael with the three 2015 grads: Wade, Sinethemba, and Karl.
In 2015, our first group of boys graduated from Ubuntu Football Academy. It was a proud moment for us to have these now young men stepping out into the world beyond Ubuntu and setting the standard for their younger brothers. We recently spoke to Wade Coetzee, one of the three 2015 graduates, and heard about what this moment in Ubuntu’s history meant to him.
Wade joined Ubuntu in 2013 while they were still playing under Fish Hoek’s name and before the Academy School was set up. Though he didn’t attend the Ubuntu School, the Academy was still part of his academic instruction. Ubuntu sponsored Wade and his brothers’ school fees and Coach JP personally tutored them all throughout their matric year. At school, Wade felt like he stood out from his peers because of the values that Ubuntu instills in their players. In addition, Wade and his brothers had to tackle playing football full-time on top of keeping up with their school work, not just as an extramural sport. He remembers long days of school, tutoring, and football.
Wade with Jordan, one of our 2021 matric students, at combined ABC/U18 morning training.
Reflecting on his time at Ubuntu and as a member of the first graduating class, Wade states, “It was a great privilege to be among one of the first boys to graduate because it will go down in history. It’s a proud moment because one day I can tell my kids I was one of the first to graduate from Ubuntu.” He went on to say that what Ubuntu taught him has stuck with him to today. Wade still seeks to live out the Ubuntu values and be an example to others. He’s able to be an influence to the younger boys at Ubuntu today since he continues to play for the ABC Motsepe team. Football was a dream of his when he graduated from Ubuntu, but as he got older he decided he wants to pursue a degree, something which is still part of his future plans.
Several moments stick out as special to Wade about his time at Ubuntu with the first graduating class. He told us that he particularly enjoyed playing in the Coke Cup, the Metropolitan Cup, and the Bayhill Premier Cup. In the first two tournaments mentioned (the Coke and Metropolitan Cups), Wade’s team was the youngest to play and in the Bayhill Premier Cup (a national tournament), they were Ubuntu’s first team to ever qualify for that particular tournament. All three experiences are a source of pride to Wade.
Wade (right) with fellow matric Sinethemba in 2015.
We asked Wade if there was anything challenging about being part of Ubuntu and the first group to graduate. He replied, “The only challenge is that Ubuntu expects a lot of you so they push you to your utmost best. At the time we don’t understand what they’re actually trying to do but at the end of it all you’ll see that they’re only trying to help you better yourself.” It’s encouraging to continue to be connected with Ubuntu alum like Wade and see how they continue to pursue the values in their lives today and seek to lead those around them.
