Life is not what it used to be for ABC Motsepe League club Free Agents FC. Just a few weeks ago, hardly anyone would notice their bus passing by.
But now that they are playing against Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup Round of 32 this weekend, so much has changed. Not only is their bus being recognised a lot more on the streets, but they all of a sudden have to print supporters' t-shirts because of how much interest there is from the people of Eersterust in Pretoria, where they are based. Players have been asking if the game is going to be televised. All this because of Chiefs.
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On Wednesday evening, at the Eersterust stadium, assistant coach Dinoleo Advezeit and the players were preparing for the match against Amakhosi and you could tell how much excitement there was. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for the club which was formed in 2019 by Olaitan Oladeru.
"Before we had the support of the LFA and our chairman is a big hearted person, so we do a lot for the community. I stopped at the BP garage and someone said 'Are you coaching the boys that are staying here? I see the bus going pass everyday'. With the draw against Kaizer Chiefs, it's free publicity for us."
"Everyone knows Free Agents now. People on social media are still asking where we come from. I stopped at the garage in Silverton. I had gone to collect the tickets and they were on the (car) seat. There was a guy looking through the window and he was like 'for which game is this?'. I said 'Free Agents against Kaizer Chiefs'. And he was like 'it's that bus that's passing?' So, no one realised, but now that we have been drawn against Kaizer Chiefs, everybody looks at it," Advezeit said, when the Siya crew visited the club on Wednesday evening.
"This team has been in the community all along, but now we are at a point where we have to hire a bus. We have to make sure we get supporters' t-shirts, just because of Kaizer Chiefs."
If the community is excited about the Chiefs match, then you can just imagine what is going through the minds of the players. With the game nearing, they probably can't sleep because all of the excitement. They've even been asking the coach if the game will be televised.
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"The excitement is definitely there. That's why, as coaches, we need to keep the players grounded because obviously we want them to be ready for the match and we want them to understand what the picture is ahead. They've been asking me if the game will be televised and I said 'it's a big team'. It's a big moment for these boys and I am extremely happy for them. Some of them are here and they are breadwinners at home, so it's a very big thing," Advezeit said.
"It's a big thing. It's a bit of a bitter sweet situation because it can motivate the players and, at the same time, Chiefs have to prove themselves to the rest of the country. It goes both ways. We take that as motivation, but we need to show the necessary respect to the brand of Kaizer Chiefs."
Chiefs have been on the receiving end of some humiliating results against lower division clubs in the Nedbank Cup in recent years, so Free Agents cannot be ruled out of upsetting Amakhosi. Though the Soweto giants may have learnt that they can't take anything for granted in the competition this time.
