“Shoooooes!”
Umdlali webhola oqavile,
1976 – 1991
Ngesikhathi uLeonard Gregory eneminyaka eyishumi nanhlanu wayengumdlali oqavile webhola lezinyawo. Wayedlalela iqembu eliholelayo iZulu Royals. Leli kwakuyiqembu elidume kakhulu KwaZulu-Natal, nelabuye lashintshwa igama laba-AmaZulu.
Maningi amagoli aphumelela ngenxa kaLeonard. Wayedlala indawo ephakathi enkundleni. Nguyena owayewungqondongqondo ekwakheni ibhola emdlalweni. Wayelisusa ibhola phakathi nenkundla asebenzise ikhono lakhe elihle lebhola ukuledlulisela kwabanye abadlali beqembu lakhe.
“Shoooooes!” izethameli zazihlokoma ngesikhathi uLeonard ephethe ibhola.
ULeonard wadlalela amaqembu amaningi KwaZulu- Natal kanye naseTranskei. Ukusuka kwiZulu Royals wadlulela kwiDurban Bush Bucks, lapho wadlala iminyaka emine kwiNational Professional Soccer League, wabe esedlalela iqembu le-Aces United elalikwiFederation Professional League.
Ngesikhathi sobandlululo ibhola lezinyawo lalihlukaniswe ngokwebala. Kwakunamaligi ahlukaniswe ngokwezinhlanga ezahlukene. Ubani owaziyo ukuthi wayeyofikaphi uLeonard ukuba kwakune Premier Soccer League engabandlululi ngebala ngalesosikhathi?
ULeonard wabe esethuthela eMthatha, wadlalela iLiverpool United kwiTranskei Professional League. Wayengomunye wabadlali abavelele kwiligi futhi abuye adlalele iqembu laseTranskei ngenkathi lidlala neBophuthatswana. Wabe esedlulela kwiThembu Royals lapho uBantu Holomisa, oseyilungu lasephalamende, wayengumphathi.
ULeonard uyakhumbula ukuthi uBantu Holomisa wayevame ukuthi, “Zinsizwa ihora lokugcina selifikile!” esho eqenjini ngaphambi kokuqala komdlalo.
ULeonard “Shoes” Gregory noDorrington Webster kanye nabalandeli beReal Taj eNorthdale Stadium (1986).
Okwalandela uLeonard wathuthela eKokstad. Lapho wajoyina iKokstad Swallows eyamtholela umsebenzi esitolo sezipele zezimoto.
Wabe eseshada nesiphalaphala uSylvia Kroutz wabe esezinza, wathola abantwana ababili, uLee noLeandra. Waqhubeka nokudlala ibhola eMgungundlovu njengomdlali oqokiwe edlalela iReal Taj kwiFederation Professional League, ehamba njalo esuka eKokstad eya eMgungundlovu ngezimpelasonto emidlalweni. Izinto zazimhambela kahle uLeonard eKokstad. Zonke izinto zashintsha lapho sekwenzeka ingozi.
ULeonard noSylvia nezingane zabo oLee noLeandra ngosuku lokuzalwa lokuqala lukaLeandra (13 Novemba, 1990).