Football icon Stanton “Stiga” Fredericks is still maintaining good health and financial security long after his memorable soccer days.
The former Bafana Bafana footie says local football players should warm up to the idea of financial literacy in the form of workshops to help prepare them for life after football, as many struggle after hanging up their boots.
“I would usually say ‘sometimes being a professional football player is a setup for failure. This is because most of us come from very little or no financial backing from family. I come from kasi in the flats where you escape drugs, guns and so many distractions, and make it as a footballer,” said Fredericks.
“In that kind of environment and family background, money is scarce, so when you get it you don’t know how to use it properly.
“You end up spending it all, buying expensive cars and paying for a rented house because nobody told you the right thing to do was to buy a house.”
Fredericks said the attention players receive while at the top also goes to their heads. At stadiums after games and in their home towns, there is pressure because they are famous and their lifestyle demands expensive fashion clothing and the latest and
fastest cars on the market.
This, he said, was the beginning of the road to failure for most local players, a situation likely to result in a player dying a pauper or spending the rest of his life poor and begging as if he never tasted the fortunes of being a star.
“It all starts going south when the player’s talent is on the decline and is no longer competitive; when the body starts ageing and gives in. This is when financial backup and investment should kick in, but in most cases players don’t have that financial back up.”
“Soccer is one sport that gives opportunities to people who are from poor backgrounds but are talented, and are not used to fame, fortune and the stacks of money they get for their work.
“We then show off our fame and fortune with the expensive brands and rented mansions we don’t own.
“This needs to change because the reality of the situation is some players are breadwinners, and black tax is a reality. We need to support our family members, especially our struggling parents, otherwise you will be rejected by family once the fame fades away,” he said.
The former Wits, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, midfielder, who a so played in Switzerland and Greece, said regardless of the money a player makes, without the knowledge on how to invest, it is as good as not having a cent.
Still fit and playing social football games at 44, the man affectionately known as Stiga from his playing days, said he was fortunate to be surrounded by business-minded people who consistently remind and teach him about the importance of saving money and staying in good shape health-wise.
“I surrounded myself with people who added value to my life because as the saying goes: ‘show me your friends and I’ll show you your future’.
“In my second year as a professional footballer, I opened a sports shop to understand the value of money and how to make and use money.
“It was a valuable lesson at an early stage in my football-playing career. I started to understand the value of money, hence I was thrifty with my money.”
Fredericks said he did not allow soccer to define him, and he continues to indulge in other hobbies, including cycling and playing golf.
This has been his secret recipe to staying healthy.
During his “me time”, he enjoys watching sport documentaries and learning how the football industry is innovating.
This, he says, should be taken up by local players willing to improve their lifestyle and
finances.
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