Game On

I first came to realise that Del could pack a good shot when we went to Zimbabwe in October 2017. He had just started school, and preety much the football he played was the Winnie the Pooh ball his mum got him when he was a baby. Coming from a football loving family, it was easy for him to find himself kicking the ball around with my bigger brother Shacks when we went to my childhood home in Kwekwe. And off-course my brother being a football academy coach, they found something in common to bond with.

So it became football all the way during our holiday, that my brother had to borrow him one of his training balls which we traveled around the country with. Still then I didn’t take it seriously. To me he was just my over energetic son, keen to burn his energy and in this case kicking the ball around. At our place in Crowhill, he didn’t get a chance to kick the ball around, as the place doesn’t have a flat ground to exercise his prowess. But he did show some potential to pack some shots when he played at his mom’s childhood home in Gweru. Still to me, he was just Del with so much energy to burn. His energy was so intense that at one time my dad had to ask me to come take him away as the old man just could not keep up with the 5 year old. My sister Ally and mum also commented in passing, that he seem to have some natural ability to move the ball around. Who saw that anywhere?.

Fast forward to our life back in New Zealand after the Zimbabwe holiday. I fostered what I call, ‘Daddy’s Time”. This was a time normally just after I had come back from work between 5pm and 7 pm, where me, Del and his sister Rin would do nothing but kick Winnie the Pooh ball in our lounge, dribbling and scoring on one end of the room. Of-course the mum, didn’t subscribe to the idea, but on her good days, she would just join in, and would do what we used to call , “chibhubhubhu” when I was growing up in Zimbabwe. As Del’s demands to play football increased, “daddy’s time” moved outside to our drive way, preety much on a daily basis. As his demands to want to kick the ball increased, it also gave me a leverage for me to ensure that he does his homework and chores before I could agree to play with him. As we played and increased the nature of play, it quickly dawned on me that he surely wasn’t just keen on playing, but playing to win. As the dad, I would allow him to win on occasions, but at times would up my tempo and the poor boy would cry his heart out wanting to just ensure he wins. Obviously I would give in eventually and the satisfaction on his face, would be just blessing for me.

Pretty much a full year , 2018, finished whilst going through these motions of daddy’s time. And obviously daddy’s time increased to over weekends, and any other time there was an opportunity. In all these instances, to me he was still just Del, burning energy, as he surely had an abundance of it.

Come year 2019, Del came with a note from school, which requested parents to consider signing up their children for the local Waiuku Football Club. At this moment, there was no going back, I had to register Del as a start to his journey through what I call Super Del Football, the journey I will be taking you all, from his first game and the glory and the pain that comes with it.