AT just 24-years-old, Tyrese De Bruin has lived the dreams of many. From the thunderous roar of the football field to the thud of running shoes on the open road, his is a story of passion, reinvention and an unyielding search for purpose.

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History:

Born and raised in Wentworth, De Bruin started falling in love with the beautiful game of football at the age of six while playing for Cherrians FC. That very spark would initiate a journey that would see him play for Bayview FC, Stella, Royal Eagles and then Golden Arrows’ U17 team.

“I then came back to play in Wentworth for Young Cavaliers’ senior team and their Engen U19 team, after the Engen knockout tournament. I then went on a one-month trial at Supersport United which did not go as planned,” he said.

Undeterred, De Bruin returned to Durban, earned a trial with AmaZulu FC, and was included in their SAB U19 team. He was promoted to the U23 Reserve team in just two months.

“As time progressed being in that type of professional environment, getting the right training and development, I pursued and worked hard to try make it pro,” said De Bruin.

Eventually De Bruin signed a junior professional contract with AmaZulu FC and featured in the DSTV Diski Challenge reserve league which is televised.

“Getting on TV, training every day and getting paid to play the sport I loved was like a dream,” he said. Behind closed doors, though, De Bruin was battling silently.

He said he had hit a mental low and slowly lost his passion for the game he loved. That led to the mutual ending of his contract with AmaZulu, a tough but inevitable decision.

Just when it appeared to be the end of the road, a new door opened. A visiting coach from USA offered De Bruin a full academic scholarship to play soccer at Saginaw Valley State University in the state of Michigan.

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“Football enabled me to see the world and interact with people from other nations. I had left my full-time job as a police officer to pursue the opportunity to rewrite my story,” he said.

De Bruin went on to be captain of the men’s soccer team in his first month, a high honour for a freshman. He not only excelled on the field but also off it, getting recognised on the Dean’s List and even competing for Midwest United in the USL League Two, guiding them to their first-ever national playoff spot.

Nevertheless, his USA experience was not free of tribulation. De Bruin’s life had another change of plans which led to his return to South Africa but with a renewed determination.

The change:

“After all of that, I wanted to challenge myself to start and finish something. The Comrades Marathon was always a dream of mine,” he said. With six to seven months of training, De Bruin changed gears and began his foray into long-distance running.

Under the guidance of his coach Romondo Thompson and with the support of a training partner in Brett Hoskins, along with friends Robert Rougier-Lagane, Taariq Stokes and Mapelo Roskruge, De Bruin has embraced the sport of running.

De Bruin’s journey may have diverted from boots to trainers, but his tale is very much still being told. Whether he is on the pitch or taking to the pavement, he continues to inspire others with his unwavering dedication and the understanding that it is never too late to chase a new dream.

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