Nedbank is rolling out the second season of the Ring of Steel campaign, which will provide more Ke Yona team players with the skills they require to make the most of their soccer talents, on and off the soccer field.
While the campaign looks at financial and lifestyle management through the careers of Nedbank Ke Yona team search graduates; the advice and tools provided could be used by any athlete or anyone else looking to optimize the resources they have.
This year, Bongani Mbuli and Jeremiah Nkwana join Ian Chikohwa, Aubrey Maphosa Modiba as Ke Yona team graduates who will be surrounded by a team of experts to enable them to develop sustainable football careers.
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“The Ring of Steel campaign has put into practice what Nedbank does everyday; which is to use our financial expertise to do good. Through the Nedbank Cup, not only do we enable teams and players to achieve their goals, we also do the same for our clients and the communities we serve. Football is a lot like managing your finances; you must have a goal, work hard, be committed and find a team – like Nedbank, to enable you to achieve it” says Desmond Osman; Head Of Marketing for Middle Markets at Nedbank.
The Ring of Steel will provide the players with talent management, media training, personal branding and social media advice, image consulting and financial skills which will be provided by a team of experts, such as: Glyn Binkin (Agent), Mo Nassuirio (Financial Advisor), Helman Mkhalele (Mentor), Andre Arendse (Mentor), Abubaker Frizlaar (Style and Image) and Boity Thulo (Social Media Advisor).
Binkin is arguably South Africa’s top football agent and returns to guide the players, while soccer heavyweights Helman Mkhalele and Andre Arendse will draw from their extensive expertise in the game to support and nurture them. Nedbank’s Ke Yona Team Search new TV presenter Boitumelo Thulo (professionally known as ‘Boity’) takes on the mantle of guiding the four Ke Yona Team Search graduates through the personal branding and social media tightrope, and Frizlaar’s expert knowledge of style will ensure these graduates look good, while Nassuirio’s extensive financial planning background will prepare the players with sound financial advice for the future.
“I guess you can say I’m one of the lucky ones to have been one of the first beneficiaries of the Ring of Steel. The sessions I had with Bra Helman and Mo last year gave me a lot to think about and I can safely say I made better and more calculated choices since then and I look forward to more engagement opportunities with them,” says Ian Chikohwa, Ring of Steel beneficiary and amaTUKS player.
-ENDS-
ABOUT THE RING OF STEEL:
Nedbank sets out to build a ‘The Ring of Steel’ around the shooting stars of tomorrow’s
soccer fields helping them to see money differently.
Nedbank has identified young players from the multi-award winning Nedbank Ke Yona Team Search to arm each of them with some necessary skills; direction and financial planning that will set them apart and build a solid foundation to launch long and prosperous soccer careers on and off the field.
RING OF STEEL FOCUS AREAS
1. FINANCIAL PLANNING
While the path to becoming a professional footballer is a difficult one, it also has its rewards. Financial guidance and a responsible attitude towards money will pay dividends to the players who don’t make it in the game as well as the ones who do. Leading figures at Nedbank, as money experts who do good, will provide specialist information to the players about financial planning to enable them to make better choices with their money as they work towards the goal of ‘life beyond the game.’
2. MENTORSHIP
Young players can benefit from guidance from older players who have already faced similar experiences, situations and pressures. It’s sometimes easy to forget that players are also people and the nature of modern football means there is now a need to provide solutions and advice to cope with life away from the training ground.
Each player will be paired with a mentor, who is a former / current football player/coach. This mentor will look to help each player understand their personality and their values, examining what support they’re receiving and arming them with coping strategies to deal with whatever challenges they’re facing.
3. PLAYER MANAGEMENT
With many future soccer stars often coming from humble beginnings, being catapulted into the spotlight sees them exposed to life beyond their wildest comprehension. Fame, success and money become the fruits of their talent but how many plan for the eventuality that their professional career will end a lot earlier than the traditional retirement age?
Being supported by the right manager will enable a player not only to unleash his potential, but also take a longer term view to carve out a lucrative and sustainable career.
Each player will be supported by a leading soccer agent committed to improving his understanding of his potential, both physically and from a career perspective to enable him to make the most of the opportunities coming his way.
4. PERSONAL BRANDING AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Creating a strong personal brand for yourself allows you to pursue whatever it is that you are passionate about in a clearly defined way. And when used effectively, social media is the most powerful form of marketing and market research to enable you to realise those dreams.
We know that companies today often pre-screen candidates by checking their social media activities – and brands align themselves with social media influencers who match the audiences they would like to woo.
5. MEDIA TRAINING
By learning about the mind-set and motives of journalists, the hunted can begin to understand the hunter. We will look at what players should and shouldn’t say, when actions speak louder than words and what to do when the press pack pounces. Media training will also dovetail with the insights of the Personal Branding and Social Influence mentor, addressing how the explosion in social media gives players the opportunity to control their own PR and become more accessible to the public. The risks associated with social media have never been greater and this is the perfect opportunity to provide players with proactive, independent and expert advice highlighting the potential benefits and dangers of instant access to ‘always on’ global channels.
6. STYLE
We have all heard the familiar saying “dress for success.” But what does dressing for success really entail? In any setting in life, your appearance matters. Your image educates others on how you want to be approached. Every time you go out, you reflect an image that tells others how to treat you. They are sizing you up and making an assumption of what you do for a living, your income level and your current level of success in life based solely on your appearance. Successful people maintain an impeccable image.
Why?
Because they know that their image is part of their brand. Your image is an outside indicator of who you are as a person. A big part of advancing in life is looking the part.
Soccer players are known around the world for their cool sense of style, and that extends beyond the field of play. The ROS stylist will ensure our young players are taught about style and dressing for success and ensuring they are as best dressed as David Beckham!!
