Frank Mpedi is a stalwart for UP-Tuks with the central midfielder being a pivotal player for the University of Pretoria since the 2014 season, where he helped his university clinch their second Varsity Football title.
The 25-year-old hails from Lephalale in Limpopo where he finished school at Meetsetshehla Secondary School. While at school he represented Xtreme FC in the ABC league. He was awarded a bursary from TuksSport in 2014 where he opted to pursue a degree in Sports Science.
Mpedi is grateful for the opportunity afforded to him by the University of Pretoria while he firmly believes in Varsity Football as it provides its players with a national platform to express themselves.
“It would have been much harder to study because of financial constraints if TuksSport did not award the bursary to me. I will be forever indebted to the University of Pretoria for showing faith in my playing ability,” said Mpedi.
“Varsity Football is such an important platform for players to be noticed. Coaches from the Premier Soccer League and National First Division use this competition to identify emerging talent, plus we get to reach TV audiences with the selected televised matches. It really is an honour to play in Varsity Football,” he added.
When he is not studying or playing for UP-Tuks, Mpedi enjoys testing his twin brother, Radiwane, who plays for Arsenal FC in the SAB League while having an eye on his future outside of football.
“It is great that my brother plays football as we get to test each other’s skills whenever we are together,” said the final year BA Sports Science student.
“Though I like to relax and play football, I’m under no illusions how important my studying is. My dream is to play for a giant like Kaizer Chiefs but age is not on my side and there are potential injuries that could curtail my dream. So although I’m working hard to make my football aspirations a reality, I want to graduate with flying colours in order to pursue a career within the sporting realm if I do not make it in football,” he added.
UP-Tuks resume their 2017 Varsity Football campaign against Wits on Thursday, 24 August at the Tuks Stadium. The match will be televised on SuperSport 4 and SuperSport Select.
By Dan Lombard
Virtual Campus
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