Graphic designer Lee-Roy Madella and retired footballer Tebogo Moloi have both found their life’s work thanks to soccer.
South Africa (24 November 2022) – People with big hearts, who go the extra mile for others, are the ones who make the world go around. We got to speak to two people who know, firsthand, just what a positive impact the beautiful game can have on the world.
29-year-old Lee-Roy Madella and retired professional footballer Tebogo Moloi both love soccer. It is this common ground that connects these two soccer fans to an insurance company, of all things!
For Lee-Roy Madella, he was looking for a graphic-design job and in his research about MiWay, found the company had an action soccer field and a team worth joining. It has been quite a year for the soccer fan, having recently returned from France after catching a game live in the stadium to watch Paris St Germain (PSG), his favourite soccer team.
Lee-Roy explained to us, that soccer is a universal language. It brings everyone together, from all walks of life. Soccer helped Lee-Roy follow the right path in his own life when there were many opportunities to fall into bad habits and bad friends.
“As a boy with little big dreams but little confidence, I never imagined I’d ever find myself in the stands watching PSG live. I mean, for me as a laaitie from the kasi, it could never be more than a dream! I’ve only been at MiWay for five months, and I started planning and saving for this trip from the day I worked those doors on my first day. The company’s internal mantra is “Be Extraordinary” and I’m challenged every day to do just that, and even more, to believe the extraordinary for myself.”
“In soccer, it’s all about anticipating your opponent’s next move, and taking every chance you get for shots at goal. Sometimes, it’s about that game-changing pass that the striker needs to land the ball in the back of the net…and really, that’s what it’s been like for me, learning a different kind of teamwork in my first corporate job ever!”
Soccer brings people together and creates community, builds friendships and inspires every generation.
“One of the company’s values is accountability, and ja, I bring that soccer mindset to my daily job – it’s not just about me. Or the next person. It’s about being accountable to each other and what we can achieve together. And avoiding own-goals as much as possible,” Lee-Roy laughs.
Finding people who are passionate about their dreams and the dreams of others is a priority for MiWay. And as a local brand, MiWay understands that soccer is a big part of the culture and community that makes us South African.
Retired professional footballer Tebogo Moloi found his passion for soccer at the age of 16. That was when he realised he could turn his love of the sport into a career. Beyond his own career, he wanted to work in development soccer, which would enable more talented players to become professionals, or even just find a love for the game.
After retiring, Tebogo decided to turn his attention to the youth. He wanted to give them the tools to be able to compete against the best in the world. Tebogo noticed how the U12s and U15s are formidable competitors but the older youth struggled. His goal has been to uplift U17s to U23s, working to inspire them to be the best.
Today, Tebogo is a development coach. Sometimes, he joins MiWay to contribute to their work being done in the communities to uplift youth through sports. When they have worked on building multi-purpose courts at schools, he has noticed that the courts have been more than just a sporting opportunity.
“What I like, is it’s not just about football, it’s also about life skills. The youngsters are given a life skills education. Things like gender-based violence and equality are addressed because the courts are shared.
In that multi-purpose field, you find it being used by both boys and girls. You find them together, sharing the field. Boys now get to understand that girls are equal to them; they understand they can have the same field and purpose for sports”
“It addresses a lot of challenges our youth face.”
As World Cup soccer fever grips the attention of fans across the globe, here at Good Things Guy we love knowing that the beautiful game has heart that extends beyond those 90 minutes on the pitch. And the stadium.
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