4 minute read
THE PSL IN HIS SIGHTS
BY JOSHUA HENDRICKS
JAYDAN PETERSEN started playing football in the streets of Beacon Valley, Mitchell’s Plain, where he grew up. He says it’s part of the culture in Mitchell’s Plain, where children play soccer religiously and those who stand out always feel the confidence from their community that helps them to push for higher honours.
HE JOINED WESTRIDGE FC as a five-year-old, and played there until the age of eleven. “I then moved on to Vasco da Gama in the Tygerberg League (LFA). I spent around four years [there] in which I made a name for myself, until I joined Atlantic Nacional FC, going on to play in the ABC Motsepe League at the age of only 17,” says Petersen.
HAVING ALREADY SACRIFICED his social life for football, Petersen enrolled at UWC to study Law, where his football prowess soon attracted the attention of professional clubs’ scouts.
PETERSEN SAYS: “At that stage I had started my studies at the University of the Western Cape and also went on to represent the university in the Varsity Football Competition in 2018 and 2019, scoring four goals in each edition while being crowned the top goalscorer in the latter.
“AS A RESULT OF MY PERFORMANCES, I was spotted by Highlands Park in the PSL, where I spent three months until the transfer window opened. Things were extremely positive as I had even undergone a medical in order to sign. However, COVID-19 had come to the fore, and I decided to come back home to Cape Town.” >
DESPITE THE IMPACT on his development as a footballer of nearly two years of lockdown-enforced inactivity, he still managed to join Cape Town Spurs in the ABC Motsepe League after health regulations were relaxed. Coping with his studies and semiprofessional football at the age of 17 was extremely challenging, but he feels that it has shaped him into the man that he has become. He feels the top flight is almost within grasp, especially after recently joining Motsepe Foundation Championship (formerly National First Division) side Cape Town Spurs.
“STRUGGLES ARE A PART OF LIFE but I wouldn’t be honest with myself if I said it didn’t take its toll on me. There were times I felt despondent as nothing was materialising. Everything seemed to be going wrong or things would happen up until the final step in which it fell through, like the Highlands Park move. I had left my studies to pursue that so it felt as though I had lost that sense of purpose and goal in life. I had struggled financially as well as I didn’t have an income and that affected me mentally. However, I tried to remain as positive as possible and I always believed in trusting God and His plans for me and that is what got me through it all,” says Petersen.
Petersen says he was always determined to complete his degree, regardless of how long that took while also playing football. “I have big ambitions that I want to achieve and believe that I can make it to the top of the game, by continuing to make a name for myself and eventually playing for a big team should the opportunity arise. Even take my talents outside of the country onto a global stage and represent the national team.
“WITH THAT SAID, I am fortunate enough to start off at a big and historic team like Cape Town Spurs. Right now, the main aim is to help them achieve the big heights that are required for such an institute.
“ACADEMICALLY, I want to complete my degree and forge a career which I can continue once my football journey has been completed.
JAYDAN PETERSEN
“I WOULD LIKE TO BUILD on my success on and off the fi eld of play and prepare the way for the next generation. And I trust that all will happen according to God’s plan,” says Petersen. B+G
