The fields of Laerskool Numbi came alive with energy and excitement as local youngsters from the Siyadlala Football Academy gathered for a once-in-a-lifetime coaching clinic led by football legend Siyabonga “Bhele” Nomvethe, which was made possible through the support of Trellidor Hazyview.
The session brought together 30 eager players, aged 11 to 17, for a morning of football drills, mentorship, and life lessons from one of South Africa’s most celebrated strikers. Beyond the thrill of meeting their hero, the event represented something deeper, a collaboration built on shared values of opportunity, discipline, and the belief that community investment can change lives.
For Trellidor Hazyview, the initiative is part of an ongoing effort to give back to the communities they serve, supporting projects that nurture young talent and create safe, hopeful spaces for growth.
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“When we first heard about Siyadlala Football Academy and the incredible work Bongani Tshabalala was doing, we knew this was something special,” said Damian Judge, Sales and Marketing Executive at Trellidor. “The academy gives children more than football skills. It teaches teamwork, respect and responsibility. That’s exactly the kind of community foundation we believe in supporting.”
It was a chance encounter that sparked the connection, when a franchise team member noticed a pair of worn soccer boots during a client visit and learned that her son played at Siyadlala. A few conversations later, Trellidor reached out to the Academy and began planning the collaboration that would bring Nomvethe to Hazyview.
The Siyadlala Football Academy was founded by Bongani Tshabalala, whose own football journey began in the dusty fields of Mpumalanga and led him to trials with Bidvest Wits’ reserve team before injury halted his professional career.
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Determined to turn his experience into something meaningful, Tshabalala returned home to establish the academy in 2011, after years of learning from youth coaches and development programmes in Johannesburg.
“I realised that in my community, there was no proper development structure,” he recalls. “If I had access to the kind of coaching and guidance available in Gauteng, maybe my story would have been different. So I wanted to make sure the next generation had that chance.”
Today, Siyadlala Football Academy has grown to include branches across Mbombela, Hazyview, Bushbuckridge, and Lydenburg, with around 80 active players and a database of more than 200 young footballers who have passed through its programmes. Over the years, the Academy has produced not only professional players, including Sizwe Sithole and Joel Carlsson who is now playing for FC Arlanda in Sweden, but also community leaders, lawyers, engineers, and teachers who credit the Academy with shaping their values.
