Kaizer Chiefs Diski youth revival offers hope amid senior team struggles

Kaizer Chiefs have not had much to celebrate this season, but their recent Nedbank Cup triumph – coupled with their junior team’s success in the DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) – may lay the foundation for a brighter future and a potential turnaround in the coming campaign.

While the senior team battled inconsistency throughout the season, Amakhosi’s youth side was a solid force in the DDC, clinching the league title with one match to spare. 

Neighbours Orlando Pirates have reaped significant rewards from a well-structured youth system. Many of Pirates’ current stars graduated from their DDC squad, and now perform on the biggest stages in South Africa and beyond.

Amakhosi, too, have shown strong signs in that department. Their development system has produced notable talents in recent years – including Mduduzi Shabalala and, more recently, Aden McCarthy. 

With the first team clearly in need of rejuvenation, there is a growing belief that the next step is to give more of these emerging players opportunities in the senior setup next season.

Chiefs’ DDC assistant coach Dillon Sheppard, who worked alongside head coach Vela Khumalo, believes the league has become a vital component in South African football development.

“If you go through the teams this season, a lot of the players have featured consistently on the bench for the senior teams,” said Sheppard.

“It has played a huge role in providing regular game-time and in increasing the competitiveness of the league. The players are able to make the step up.

“A couple of years ago, the step up from the DDC into the first team was a lot bigger, but that gap has gotten a lot smaller now.

“All the players from the DDC are able to step up and get game time in the first team.

“Now we also see our national teams – both the Under-20 and Under-17 – going to the World Cup, so our development is really in a good place.”

The Glamour Boys have, in previous instances, been criticised for not always capitalizing on the youth talent they have.

One example of this is TS Galaxy midfielder Puso Dithejane. After coming through the club’s youth system, he left Naturena in search of regular senior football and joined the Rockets.

The move has proven successful, with Dithejane recently earning a spot in Bafana Bafana’s preliminary squad named by head coach Hugo Broos for their two upcoming international friendlies.

According to Sheppard, stories like Dithejane’s highlight that development success is not only about feeding the first team but also about preparing players for long-term professional careers, wherever they may go.

“We need to look at the positivity of the players we are producing,” Sheppard continued.

“Not everyone will get promoted to your first teams – and that is the reality of it.

“With the likes of Shabalala and (Wandile) Duba, they were all born in 2004, and Mfundo (Vilakazi) in 2005, so we already have four players we’ve promoted.

“Other players won’t have their pathways going into the first team, and they go out and find their careers.

“And that is the reality of football – you cannot play 11 DDC players in the first team.

“There is a lot of pressure at the moment, and it is important that we find these players a pathway, and wish them the best when they do move on.”