Three British Football Academy players recently had the exciting privilege of training with EFL Championship side Queens Park Rangers in Middlesex, London.
Defender Bande Gumede, and attacking midfielders Ntuthuko ‘Lion’ Mdlolo, and Khulekani ‘Sdah’ Nxumalo all jetted out to England at the start of July, for what became an unforgettable experience with The Hoops, for whom BFA’s UK ambassador Andy Sinton is also an ambassador.
With this being their first time traveling outside of South Africa, Nxumalo, in particular, reflected on the experience following a connecting flight from Durban to Johannesburg, before eventually taking the long haul to London, Heathrow, where he was welcomed by BFA co-founder and director Peter Coyle.
”Ah, it was not nice. [The flight] was too long, and I couldn’t talk to anyone. I also don’t like movies, so I was just sitting and felt so bored,” he joked.
His experience was made worse when he was detained at Heathrow Airport upon arrival, as UK customs officials interrogated him over his apparent “shipping” into England from South Africa, given he is just 16 years old, while Coyle recalled how officials tried to ensure he was not trafficking kids like Nxumalo into the UK for his own motives.
Meanwhile, Gumede highlighted the wonderful reception and experience with QPR’s under-21 team, where he said he felt at home despite participating with players up to three years his senior.
”Obviously it was full of new experiences and lessons, but I’ve learned to pretty much just adjust, and to be quite honest, the level at the BFA and QPR is not too much different,” said Gumede.
“It’s just the pace and how quick everything is [at QPR] – that’s where the big difference is really, but for me, it’s been a lovely learning experience and I’ve found life at QPR quite manageable, to be quite honest.”
Mdlolo, soft-spoken by nature, also enjoyed the learning experience as he too noted the level of competition was within reach, given the excellent training regime being administered by head coach Siya Mnganga and his technical team back home.
“It was good, we learnt a lot of things, and we take it as such. I can compete with them, the only thing is that I need more strength to be able to challenge them,” ‘Lion’ pointed out.
Also joining them was Kusekhaya Football Aces player Elihle Mbonambi, who was a guest on the training experience, due to his exceptional ability that caught the eye of Coach Siya during their recent meetings in the Durban Central LFA U-17 league and Engen Knockout Challenge qualifiers.
Overall, the trio made the most of their trip and earned rave reviews from the QPR Academy staff, who felt the boys merely lacked experience in an academy environment, while their technical abilities and attitudes were applauded.
