Ex-Orlando Pirates defender on why the PSL lacks white players
In the 90s, most PSL teams had several white players; however, the number started to decline in the mid to late 2000s. Van Heerden, who made his debut in the late 2000s for AmaTuks (University of Pretoria), has shared his insights on why there has been a lack of white footballers in the past decade.
'There was Mike Morton, there was Brad (Grobler). You had Jeremy Brockie,' the former Bafana Bafana defender told Robert Marawa on MSW .
'There's definitely talent across all races in our country. I just don't think they understand that they have the opportunity.'
Van Heerden mentioned that some white players would often give up football and focus on other things.
'A lot of them that do have the talent give up. I knew plenty of players growing up that just gave up too easily.
'When I was at SuperSport's academy in the beginning stages, we had white, coloured and black players. I think it's a mentality thing, even at that age,' he said.
The former AmaZulu left-back retired at the end of the 2023/24 season, after nearly two decades playing professional football.
'Do I really want to become a professional football player? Am I willing to work as hard as I possibly can to become that? Do I love the game that much to be that?' Van Heerden asked.
Former PSL players Mike Morton and Matthew Booth last year also touched on the topic, explaining why white players opt not to play soccer as a profession.
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