Durban — A Durban youngster has been selected to represent South Africa in the 2023 Youth Easter Cup in Italy.
The Youth Easter Cup (YES Cup) will take place in Milan from April 6 to 9.
Seth Ryan, 11, started his football journey at the age of 4, when he represented Ashtown Football Club. He then represented Falcons, DH7 and Hartley FC (all based in Sydenham) before being scouted by Bluff club Durban Lyons in 2022. It was at Durban Lyons that he impressed enough to get selected to represent his country in the Youth Easter Cup in Italy.
Lynette Ryan, Seth’s mom, said she was proud of how Seth conducted himself and that he acts like a professional on and off the field.
She said: “He is talented and he is disciplined. He gives everything and gives his all.”
Ryan said that although Seth is a left-back, he plays wherever his team needs him. She mentioned that there was a game where he played as a keeper and made some crucial saves that led to the team winning.
She said her son operates on two phrases as motivation: “I will not be the next Ronaldo, I want to be the next Seth Ryan”; and “I have been playing soccer for more than half my life.”
Ryan said, “We love Durban Lyons because they are about putting youngsters first and making sure they can showcase their talent. The Italy trip is an amazing opportunity for all.”
The players, said Ryan, were initially told that they needed R22 000 but due to the exchange rate, the target increased to R27 000 – which was a major setback. She said that donations came in fast at the beginning, but they have since slowed down.
Ryan said that they are currently on R15 000 and time is running out as they are scheduled to leave on April 4.
“We first started requests for donations in mid-January. I used my WhatsApp – which was my most successful, then I used Facebook (which got little response) and then word of mouth and Instagram. #LetsgetSethtoItaly on Instagram is the hashtag I have been using and I have also put on his banking details for people to make donations,” said Ryan.
Durban Lyons founder and coach Zaid Poultney, said that they were approached by his parents to try him out for the team as the team is selection based. He tried at John Dory grounds, Newlands, in a tournament and he was part of the winning team. Poultney said after that tournament, he made the cut to join the under-11 age group last year.
“Seth has one of the best soccer brains on the field as regards to positioning and structural play,” said Poultney.
He said that since Durban Lyons are a non-profit organisation, they have made videos and submitted newspaper articles to get exposure to the business community to assist with funding.
“We’ve also developed raffles and hosted fundraising tournaments to try and ensure every player gets to Italy.”
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