15 years after his retirement, former Bidvest Wits and Moroka Swallows defender Kevin Rafferty is still shattering the stereotype that footballers lack brains.
15 years after his retirement, former Bidvest Wits and Moroka Swallows defender Kevin Rafferty is still shattering the stereotype that footballers lack brains.
Now a valued Senior Lecturer at Rhodes Business School specialising in Leadership and Knowledge management, he has fond memories of his time playing among South Africa’s elite.
Rafferty – who played both at the centre-back and right-back – reached his peak in 1995, when he won the Coca-Cola Cup and BP Top Eight Cup with Wits. Eventually, after 10 years with the club, he joined Moroka Swallows in 1999.
Retirement regret
Two years later, aged 32, Rafferty decided to hang up his boots. He worried that football – then a part-time job – would not keep him financially secure. His focus shifted to the corporate world and football never saw him again.
However, with the benefit of hindsight, Rafferty admits to having regrets about retiring.
“15 years ago, the guys weren’t getting paid that much. My concern was that I was getting another three or four years out of my career, and then what? At the time, it seemed like the right decision. On reflection, I wish I had played a few more years,” he says.
Possible reunion with football
Despite also having a few regrets about not going into coaching either, Rafferty says he not been unhappy in the career he did choose. He has entertained thoughts of doing a case study on leadership in South African football for his PhD, but has not yet followed through with any ideas.
“I’m quite interested to see how we can start enhancing and developing leadership with PSL teams. It might be different now, but having been a player in those teams, I don’t think the management draws enough from the players’ [leadership potential]on the field,” said Rafferty.
Making his skills work for sport
If the opinion of employers past and present are anything to go by, then Rafferty certainly has the skills to make healthy changes in the sport.
Former Wits Chairman Raymond Hack (better known for his six-year stint as the CEO of the South African Football Association) said that he has fond memories of Rafferty, describing him as “a very, very good full-back and a great club man”.
Meanwhile, Rhodes Business School Director, Professor Owen Skae, hailed Rafferty’s leadership credentials, saying, “Kevin epitomises what he teaches – his main subject area being responsible leadership. What I notice about the top sportspeople that I have been fortunate enough to interact with is their humility – essentially, they do their talking on the field".
If Rafferty does decide to link his successful careers both on and off the pitch for his PhD, then South African football is sure to benefit.
sport@grocotts.co.za
