SuperSport striker Grobler planning for life after football
"I dreamed of two things, either becoming a professional footballer or a professional game ranger," says Grobler.
Bradley Grobler of SuperSport United (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
Many footballers struggle to make the transition to life after football, but SuperSport United veteran striker Bradley Grobler has already started thinking about his future beyond the football pitch.
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When he’s not busy giving DStv Premiership defenders a torrid time and finding the net with regularity, the 35-year-old looks after his other interest on the wild side of life.
“Ever since I was a young boy, as far back as I can remember, I dreamed of two things, either becoming a professional footballer or a professional game ranger,” Grobler recalls.
“I grew up spending a lot of my holidays at the Kruger National Park in the wild life. It’s something that became a massive passion of mine and two years ago it became a dream come true. My brother and I decided we are going to buy our own place within the Kruger. We built the place and have our own vehicles. It’s something that even today still doesn’t feel real.
“We have decided we are going to rent it out and use it as a lodge. It has taken off with the amount of tourists that come to South Africa. The interest we have had in the place has been incredible. It’s a great investment and opportunity for us. I will be there for the next three weeks.”
The former Platinum Stars and Ajax Cape Town forward who is the son of legendary Moroka Swallows striker Les Grobler, says he was fortunate to have the right guidance on how to manage his finances early in his career.
“This is probably one of the biggest headaches in South African football. I was young once and listened to a lot of people talking about investing, saving and looking after your future and luckily I had people around me that helped with that and I started at a young age as well,” said Grobler.
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“You usually think that I’ve heard this before and I’m going to make my money and enjoy my life but I can’t stress enough to youngsters that time goes by very quickly and you can speak to guys who have retired that even though you managed your finances well, it’s a scary time (after retirement).
“People ask me what my advice to youngsters is but for me football comes second. My biggest advice is just to listen to senior players and you won’t regret it. Fortunately, I was on the right side of listening.”
