Calvin Kadi is one of the few former footballers who have taken the road
less traveled after retirement, and he hopes his journey can inspire others
to think outside the box when it comes to pursuing different roles in the
game.
The former Jomo Cosmos and Bidvest Wits striker is currently working as a
performance analyst at Upington City in the Motsepe Foundation Championship,
making strides in a role that few ex-players venture into. Now in his second
season with the club, Kadi is steadily growing in the position and is eager
to see more former professionals follow suit.
Kadi, who had spells overseas in Greece and Portugal during his playing
days, is focused on making life easier for head coach Musa Nyatama by
providing valuable insights to aid the team’s push for promotion to the
Betway Premiership.
“It has been an amazing and interesting journey. Fortunately, just before I
retired, I was introduced to analysis by my friends who were already in that
department,” Kadi told PSLSA. “Last time I checked, there are three former
PSL players in that space. I’ve settled in well at Upington, and this is my
second season. So far, everything has been amazing, and I am keeping in
touch with fellow colleagues in the analysis space, so that we can engage
and improve and assist one another to keep up with the standard required at
a high level.”
Gathering information on opposition teams in the Championship is no easy
task. To address this, a group of analysts from clubs in the league have
formed a platform where they share videos of their own teams—not as a way of
giving away secrets, but as a resource to help everyone grow in the
profession.
“The analytical space in the NFD is growing. Out of the 16 teams, I think
you have about 11 or 12 that already have analysts,” Kadi explained. “We do
have a group where we are able to exchange footage, so that we make the
coaches’ lives easy. We distribute footages amongst ourselves because we
believe there are no secrets in football.”
With Kadi carving out a successful niche as an analyst, his story could
encourage more former footballers to take note of the role and explore
opportunities within the field.
