The only PSL player from Hammanskraal who is now with Cape Town City Football Club, Aubrey Ngoma, talks about the sacrifices and challenges he endured to reach for the sky and to end up playing in the professional soccer league (PSL).
His incredible form helped the University of Pretoria gain promotion to the PSL in 2009/10 season, helping Cape Town City win the Telkom Knockout and finishing third in the PSL which automatically qualified the team to play in the African Confederations Cup.
Moretele Times’ Frank Nkwanyane, caught up with Aubrey on his visit home and talked to him about his life, his career and future dreams.
FN: Where were you born and where did you grow up?
AN: I was born and bred in Hammanskraal, Ramotse North of Pretoria and my family is still in Ramotse.
FN: How would you explain your upbringing?
AN: I was brought up by my parents together with my three older brothers who have been instrumental in my career. I started playing soccer at a tender age of six or seven years if I am not mistaken and started taking soccer seriously when I went to St Camila’s Primary School. I think that is where I fell deeply in love with the sport because the school participated in local school soccer tournaments. Ever since, I showed signs of taking the sport serious, my family encouraged me and gave me moral support.
FN: What would you say was your pillar when you pursued your career?
AN: My Mother has always been my pillar of strength because she sacrificed a lot for me to follow my dream of becoming a football star. I also cannot forget my elder brother who always encouraged me to never drop my head when things did not go my way.
FN: How did you get into soccer, give us a bit of your history and tell us a bit about your journey in professional soccer?
AN: Well, like I said earlier, I started playing soccer at an early age and at school we would travel as far as Mafikeng to represent our region in the ‘Love Life Youth Games’. The first amateur soccer team I played for was for a team called Bolton Wanderers. There i was coached by Kgomotso Kekana and Bra Ace Matjeni when i was playing for the under 14 and won the junior league called Hammanskraal District Football Association, which later changed to Hammanskraal Local Football Association. I played with a lot of quality players who I believe could have competed in the PSL but unfortunately luck does not come to all of us. When I was 15 years old, my brother John Tsietsi APhiri, sported me playing and saw the potential in me and recommended me to the University Of Pretoria coaches, Steve Barker and Sammy Troughton. When I was 16 I went for the under 16 trials with two of my friends, Thabo Mabuse and Vincent Seroka, fortunately they liked us all and signed the three of us with the under 16 and under 15. After a year playing at the University Of 
Pretoria under 16 side, I then represented Tuks in the under 17 the following year where the league became very competitive as we played in the Joburg League. We had Orlando Pirates, Chiefs and Wits development sides in the league and the way our team was so balanced, I do not remember losing to any of these three big team development sides.
After a very good season in the Johannesburg league, I got promoted to a team called Spartek which was competing at the Vodacom League but unfortunately the team was relegated to the Castle Division. I played for 6 months at Castle and I was only 18 years old, then they decided to move me into their academy and by that time, I was supposed to be in matric. I had to choose between going to stay at the academy and focus on what I loved most, which was football and forfeiting the opportunity. I decided to repeat Grade 11 so that I could go to the academy and that is one of the biggest sacrifices I had to make to pursue a career in football. I went to the sports school of Tuks and got promoted to the first team when I was 18 years old in 2008 and I got a chance to sign my first football contract. From that moment, my football career turned into a roller-coaster journey but I kept on moving forward and kept to the momentum.
FN: What has been your biggest achievement in your career?
AN: My biggest achievement in football has to be this past season when I won my first professional trophy with Cape Town City. I won the Telkom Knockout Cup and helped the team to finish third which qualified us to play in Africa. I was also nominated for three awards last season and got to win two of the awards I was nominated in which were, the Telkom Knockout player of the tournament and Midfielder of the season. This was massive for me to be awarded with the midfielder of the season in the PSL looking at a number of good midfielders who are playing in the PSL. Well, I cannot leave out the fact that I helped the University of Pretoria to gain promotion to the PSL in the 2011/12 season. This stands out also for me.
FN: What do you regret the most in your life?
AN: To be honest, I do not have any regrets in my life. I do not want to live a life full of regrets. I would rather take responsibility for the decisions I make than to live to regret that I did not make a second decision. I take every decision that I have made in a positive way and that has helped me to be the person that I am today. So if I make mistakes, rather, I take it positive and learn from them as regrets won’t help me anyway.
FN: What has been your worst setback in your career?
AN: (Sighs) I do not think there has been the worst setback in my career but I think one of my setbacks has to be when I got a groin injury that took me off the field for the whole season of 2009/10 when I was still playing my trade with Tuks. That is one of the setbacks I had to face in my career because to be out for the whole season could have robbed me a big opportunity as I feel I could have been playing in one of the big teams had I played that whole season. I had to toughen up and face the injury like a professional so that I could return to full fitness. I am glad I managed to focus on recovery and was able to bounce back the following season with full steam, and managed to help Tuks to be promoted into the PSL.
FN: How did you end up in Cape Town?
AN: I ended up in Cape Town when Mpumalanga Black Aces, the team I was playing for sold their soccer status to John Comitis who renamed the team to Cape Town City. It was not a hard decision for me to move to Cape Town because I have always traveled to Cape Town to play other matches. I wanted to move here to get a chance to have a different feeling to life out of Gauteng. So when they said the team was moving to Cape Town, for me it was a good opportunity to come and have an experience to learn the culture of Cape Town. To be honest, I would say this has been by far the best decision of my life to agree to
move to Cape Town because I think I have played my best season in Cape Town.
FN: How often do you see your family, do you miss them?
AN: I do not get to see my family as often as I would like to. It is expensive to travel from Cape Town to Gauteng. One has to consider saving money rather spending it on travelling home by booking flights and hiring a car to move around Gauteng as we have our own cars here in Cape Town. This is actually one of the challenges I have but my family understands that I am here to work so I see them once a month or when I feel I really miss them.
FN: What makes you stay in soccer, Is soccer a good paying career, Is it the money or the love for the sport?
AN: I play soccer for the love of the sport more than the money because I am living my dream and my passion. I think it is a privilege to be paid for doing something you love. Football is a very good paying career but unfortunately, it does not last for as long as we would like it to. So you have to use the money wisely and save so that when your soccer career ends you have something to fall back on, maybe start a business to sustain your life.
FN: What would you say to young aspiring soccer players?
AN: Work very hard, persevere and stay committed to reach your dreams, whatever the dream. Have patience, trust in God’s plans and believe that your dream will come true. Also, be prepared to sacrifice because to reach your dream, you will have to cut out some things in your life.
FN: What is your next move?
AN: it is every player’s dream to play abroad, and it is also mine, and if the opportunity presents itself, I would definitely take it with both hands. As much as playing abroad is my dream, I have to focus on what I have now and that is playing for my team. Off course, to be spotted by European scouters, one has to work hard and even perform beyond expectation and that means giving my best to my team and winning more titles.
FN: Are we likely to see you play back home?
AN: Look, I would like to see my family as often as possible so playing back home would give me that, but for now, my commitment is to my current team and to my career and my family understands that, so, I cannot say you are likely to see me playing back home soon.
FN: Aubrey, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. All the best for the new season.
AN: Anytime, thanks so much, It has been a pleasure talking to you and to my community back home.
