By Joshua Hendricks Images: Supplied
Bafana Bafana legend and Cape Town football icon Tyren Arendse’s ability to say no to a lifestyle that could have hindered his success is the reason why he conquered the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
Some of his friends would take offence when he chose to stay home instead of maybe going out on a Friday or Saturday night. The temptation was definitely there, especially due to the fact that he signed his first professional contract at the age of 18. But his maturity to make critical decisions at such a tender age provided him with a perfect platform that led to winning two league titles, five cup competitions and earning three caps for Bafana Bafana.
Background and Journey
Arendse was born in Elsies River but moved to Blackheath at the age of seven. Interestingly, he never played club football in his early days. “At church we had a Saturday league, so I used to play for the church. Yeah, just church and school football. When I was 16 or 17 I started playing club football for Eersteriver United’, recalls Arendse.
During his matric year, he was selected for the SAFA Western Province team for a national competition in Durban. The team included another Bafana Legend in Nasief Morris, among others. “We won that tournament and in that event there was a guy called Gavin Manuel who was the convener of sports. At the time he was at Santos so after the tournament he asked me to join them”.
That very time it wasn’t for Santos but for Mitchells Plain who were like a Santos’ senior development team which was playing in the Vodacom league. Arendse played a few games for them in the following season. “After this I played for Santos u19 in the Bayhill and it was the first time we won it. Then I left football for about eight months to study at Stellenbosch University.”
While studying that same year in September he got a call from Nigel Crowie, the General Manager at Santos, to come for trials. All it took was one friendly game and soon after he was tied down to his maiden professional contract. Arendse had a successful stint with the Peoples Team before he was headhunted by Orlando Pirates where he spent two seasons. Following that came Mamelodi Sundowns where he added a league title and Nedbank Cup to his Bobsave Super Bowl, League BP Top Eight and Absa Cup he won with Santos.
Then he returned to Santos and played four seasons in the PSL before the team was relegated to the First Division. He played two or three seasons before they were consigned to an even lower Vodacom League where he spent one season in 2018 then called it quits. “I was actually supposed to go back after the off season. That time I spent a lot of time with my family because my boys were still young. I thought that there was nothing that I still wanted to achieve in football. The moment when I scored on debut for Bafana away against Tunisia in a friendly match is a memory I hold in high stead.”
Challenges
“There were a lot of challenges because I was a late starter in football. There was no connection and I didn’t know anything about professional football. I was never involved in the junior structure. Out of nowhere I was kind of thrown in the deep end. Coming from local amateur football where the mentality is totally different. I had to unlearn a lot of things. I was very determined and mentally strong. In the beginning it wasn’t easy. I had a lot of friends who, like me, didn’t understand what it is to be a pro footballer.”
Before that, Arendse and his friends used to go clubbing on a Friday or a Saturday night. Being a professional football player it was difficult to do with a game the next day. His friends couldn’t understand when he refused. To them it looked like fame and money were getting into his head. As a result, he lost a lot of friends by making such an informed and sober decision. He had to break free from a lifestyle that would put his career under threat.
From a footballing point of view, he had on-field constraints that he had to work hard on to basically catch up his development.
“When I got into the team there were players who were much better than me on a technical level because I never had proper development. I played football in the streets and at school. I used to go early to school just to play every day. At home we played in the streets against kids of all ages and sizes.
“It’s the best development you can have because you try different things. You find out what you can and what you can’t do. Physically, they build you down there. My never say die attitude got built up on the streets and on unstructured football. Technically, I had to improve a lot. My tenacity and hard work helped me to become a better player.”
Plans after football
In the prime of his game, life after football was not thought of but close to the end he started thinking about where he would fit in. Being so in love with football, he always thought that he would eventually at some point become a coach at Santos.
After a two-year hiatus he found himself coaching school football, getting himself involved with football programmes that included 20 schools in the Eersteriver/Mfuleni and Blue Downs area. His love for development became evident and he saw it as a mandate set out for himself.
Personal Coaching ambitions
“If the right opportunity comes I’ll definitely be involved in professional football. Development level is where I want to be for now because there is so much that needs to be done. More pro coaches need to get involved in the development so that they are taught the right things sooner.
“When amateur players come into a pro setup there is so much they need to catch up on. If we involve more ex professional players into our development then we will have more 17-18 year-olds in the PSL. I last coached FC Kapstadt u18s but due to Covid-19 it was a very difficult season.”
The Santos Conundrum
Arendse had sympathy for former club owners because he believes that the job is tricky and extremely demanding. In his opinion, everything is about results and that you can lose your mind trying to chase the gold. “Many clubs are pushing for promotion without having the right structures cemented. Having like-minded people that know the plan and share the same vision is what is needed. Most of the time people come in and spend money. As soon as this fails they sell the franchise. Develop your own players, stick to your principles and set yourself realistic goals by focusing more on the structure.”
Arendse believes that the current crop of up and coming footballers are different to his generation. “I had this good grounding at home. Knowing I had to work hard and this was always instilled in me from a young age. The generation of today is a lot different. They seem to walk around with this kind of arrogance. They got the talent but are not always willing to put in the extra efforts. I had a lot of experienced players around me who would advise me on what to do and what not to do. When I came into the Santos frame I always had older heads advising me and I implemented their advice.”
