Great Gift for Pretoria

KNYSNA FOOTBALL NEWS – Local footballer Anesipho Gift Saul is officially restarting his professional football career having signed a contract with JDR Stars, a club that plays in the GladAfrica Championship, South Africa's second division of professional football.

Saul (20) has penned a deal that will see him join the Pretoria-based side for the upcoming 2021/22 season as JDR Stars continue their fight to gain promotion to the DStv Premiership, SA's premier division.

Prior to making the decision to join JDR, Saul had options from two other sides in the GladAfrica Championship (also known as the National First Division (NFD)), but ultimately chose JDR due to the long-term possibilities he sees with the club.

"I see that they are very hungry for success, and there are a lot of players at the club that I've played with, so it should be relatively easy for me to blend in at JDR," Saul told KPH. "I will be one of the younger players around, but this will make it easier for me to gain experience from other players around me." JDR Stars is a rather young club, having only been founded in 2011 and taking part in the SAB Regional League.

They immediately gained promotion to the Gauteng division of the ABC Motsepe League, SA's third tier, before winning the Gauteng Division in 2015/16.

They won it again in 2018/19 and went on to win the national ABC Motsepe League title to gain promotion to the NFD. JDR finished seventh in their first season in the NFD in 2019/20, following it up with a sixth place in the 2020/21 season.

More about our local footballer

Saul has always had a keen interest in football. He was born in Knysna and spent the first six years of his life here, moving to Kimberley for a few years before returning to Knysna. He completed primary school at Knysna Primary School and went on to attend Van Kervel School in George. It was during his time in the city that his football career started to blossom.

Saul spent much of his early football years in George with Transition Football Academy. During this time his talent was undeniable and he was scouted by representatives of Gqeberha-based DStv Premiership club Chippa United. Saul joined their ranks at the age of 18, having completed his high school career at Van Kervel, in the 2018/19 season.

He spent two seasons with the club, playing two pre-season games in total, but couldn't crack the first eleven on a regular basis. A groin injury didn't aid his efforts in any way, and following the 2019/20 season he was released by Chippa. He very briefly joined Chatsworth-based ABC Motsepe League side Summerfield Dynamos, but soon returned home to Knysna without a club.

He has played a few games for local football clubs but has not been on a professional roster since his time with Chippa, until now. Saul's aspirations remain lofty though, as he eyes up a long career in football.

"I want to ultimately play for Orlando Pirates; that is my goal," he said. "I still have a long road ahead of me and I will continue to work hard to make all of my football dreams come true."

Saul will begin pre-season training with JDR Stars once he makes his move to Pretoria in the coming week or two.

Promising young footballer Anesipho Saul. Photo: Blake Linder