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Moroka Swallows goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi says the PSL Transition Programme has opened his eyes to the sacrifices footballers have to make in preparation for life after their playing careers.
The Nigerian international was among 28 players enrolled at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) this year, and graduated earlier this week – hopefully skilled with mapping a successful post-playing future.
Akpeyi reflected on the long hours between balancing school and football.
"First of all, we are here because we are looking at life after football, so everything we'll be able to grasp here during the period of us being lectured to is something that will help us actually carry us in the near future," said Akpeyi.
"It takes a lot of sacrifice as well because every successful man has one time or another had to sacrifice and think of the future, so we're taking this sacrifice, being it missing training to be here, or away from family, it tells you it's people who want to achieve.
"So it's all about us sacrificing our time to be here, and being dedicated to really moving forward in life."
The 37-year-old says this kind of programme could have been a turning point for a lot of past players who had nothing to fall back on after retirement.
"Probably if it started much earlier than this, a lot of players wouldn't have gotten into trouble with their lives after football on the field," he added.
"So it's a great innovation for us, and with the support of GIBS, things are actually on our mindset towards life after football, what is expected, what we ought to do, and how we need to plan our life going forward and helping our futures."
