Iveson continues to weave football magic at Old Grey

Former Madibaz Football coach Wayne Iveson has once again proved he has the Midas touch by taking Old Grey FC to the ABC Motsepe League.

Gqeberha local Wayne Iveson has applied many years of coaching experience to chisel out a successful new era for the Old Grey Soccer Club.

Most recently, the 61-year-old former Mandela University coach steered the club through a demanding playoff campaign and into the 2025/26 ABC Motsepe League.

It marked the culmination of a determined journey by the ex-player and his charges that saw them steadily climbing the ranks following his appointment in 2021.

Iveson’s “new” role followed a six-year spell with the Madibaz Football Club, where he oversaw a golden period for the university.

None of this would have been possible had he not ventured onto the field at the age of nine.

“That’s when my love for football started,” Iveson said.

As he matured, he turned out for the EP Currie Cup side before forging a semi-professional career with PE Blackpool and Callies in the national second division.

The seeds for his future career were planted when he started moonlighting as a mentor of junior teams in 1990 while still playing for Callies.

A significant milestone was being part of a coaching exchange programme to Denmark in 2009. It was arranged by former Danish national coach Roald Poulsen, who also had stints in Zambia and South Africa.

His second career then took a giant leap forward when he joined the Madibaz in 2015.

“That’s when we really started focusing on . . . holistic player development,” which meant introducing time-management and outcome-based training methodologies, he explained.

Madibaz won the PEFA league and earnt a spot in the SAB Regional League playoffs under his guidance and went on to win the latter thrice in four years.

Iveson maintains close ties with his “alma mater” as supervisor of the campus facilities, including managing the Madibaz Stadium. His responsibilities range from venue maintenance to facilitating and managing sport and cultural events.

When Iveson took over at Old Grey he started penning another success story.

First came the PEFA Premier League title in 2021 and then victory in the PEFA Knockout Cup in 2022. The club gained SAB Regional League status the following year.

Although they won the SAB League in 2023, they fell short in the ABC Motsepe League playoffs. But they bounced back in the 2024/25 season to win the SAB League and then successfully negotiated the playoffs.

Having made promotion a central goal of theirs, Iveson praised the commitment of his squad.

“They worked incredibly hard on our processes, built a strong team spirit and maintained a high level of discipline on the field.”

He acknowledges that he is fortunate to have a dedicated coaching team by his side. They include his number two, Luigi Ciarrochi, and former Bafana Bafana ‘keeper Calvin Marlin.

Iveson also lauds the behind-the-scenes efforts – especially during the promotion campaign – of his team managers Mirko Pineda and Nicholas Myataza.