SHIFAAN RYKLIEF
In February, the shot-stopper was announced the new club president at their annual general meeting, with Mark Bredeveld taking up the chairman’s role and Anton Samuels to continue as club secretary.
Abrahams was part of the formidable Battswood pro team of the 1980s and competed in the South African Federation Professional League (FPL) in 1989 – the highest soccer league in SA during the apartheid regime.
The 87-year-old club went on to win the treble in their debut pro season, as well as various individual awards in the FPL, which consisted of teams such as Cape Town Spurs, Lightbody’s Santos and Glendene United.
And, Abrahams said he hopes to use his experience to lead Battswood to be the feared club it once was.
“The club has been going through some trying times, and I’m happy to have been roped in to help change that,” said Abrahams.
“All these years myself and old teammates have seen how things have gone and how the club hasn’t lived up to its full potential.
“If you look at the success we had historically, we assumed things would just carry on from there.
“It’s an honour for me to be elected as president at the club where I grew up. It’s an amazing achievement for me and I told the guys I’ll give 200%, as done when I played.
“Prior to this, I have served as a treasurer, a coach and a manager in the pro setup. But this will be an interesting challenge. We have had a number of meetings to plan the things we want to implement this season,” he said.
In the past, Battswood were spoilt for choice with over 200 junior members.
They won the under-19 Premier Cup in 1991 and have produced a number of players who went on to play to professionally and represent the SA national team.
Abrahams said he understands the monumental task at hand but that their focus for this season is about consolidation and to ensure they maintain the numbers at the club.
“Before, we used to have two or three teams for each division from under-9 up to under-19, but now only one team for each division and two senior teams,” said Abrahams.
“We want to get the numbers up again and Mark will be getting in touch with surrounding schools to get them involved in playing at the club.
“We want to create a home and a sense of belonging. We’ll also try to accommodate the kids who can’t afford to pay club fees or don’t have a pair of boots or socks.
“I think the biggest challenge for us is setting up an infrastructure that is going to make a difference to the kids.
“There will be a lot of focus on the juniors, and our junior convener Jason Jonas has come up with a plan to implement.
“We will try to get uniformity, which means reverting back to the blue and yellow stripe jersey, white shorts and blue socks – everybody knows Battswood like that.
“Also, small things like getting the juniors training kit, and teaching life values like discipline and commitment.
“These are some of the things that we can do right now, until we get some form of sponsorship to help us with the bigger tasks,” he said.
Abrahams said the focus in the junior ranks will not be competitive, but that every player gets to play and contribute in whatever way they can. However, seniors will need to pull up their socks in order to work their way into the semi-pro team which is competing in the third division.
“The club head coach, Trevor Rossouw, will create a coaching blue print that all the coaches will follow. But, most importantly, we want the kids to come out to training and match days to enjoy themselves. We want every child to go home to their parents saying they know how to head the ball, defend and pass. I feel that as we progress, success will come by itself,” said Abrahams.
“We’ve won so many trophies in the past and we are looking to showcase all of this in the clubhouse so that the youngsters can see our success and strive for it themselves. We want to rekindle and light that little fire into its full potential,” he said.
The shot-stopper has been with the club for the last 44 years, and said that 1986 is one of his most memorable years on the field – where the team remained unbeaten and he won the South African Council on Sport (SACOS) Sportsman of the Year award.
“What’s great is that we are all on the same page, we are all thinking alike and have the same vision going forward. We don’t have the luxury of having qualified coaches, but hopefully in the near future we can send our coaches on formal training,” he said.
The club’s third division team are at the foot of the table and will need to fight tooth and nail to retain their status in the league.
Abrahams said, despite the position of their top team, they have already put measures in place no matter the outcome at the end of their season.
“Our pro team is not doing too well and there’s a chance they might get relegated. But, the team has our full support and it will be a bonus for us if they can retain their status. Long term, we do have ambitions of working our way back up into the first division and maybe one day into the top flight.
“I feel that success can come in many forms. If we don’t make it as far as the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and only to the first division, then that is success for us. Even if we see a couple of our players being picked up by Ajax or one of the current first division sides, that too is success,” he said.