Most of the technique that put me in good stead, in my professional career, I learnt on the street as a youngster. It was there that I honed my skills, because there was always tough competition. On the street, you learn human values and enjoyment of the game. I remember the laughter and the fun and the fierce competition in ball-juggling skills, passing, shooting and all the other fancy footwork.
My first memories watching football came as soon as I could walk. I used to accompany my father to meetings and football matches. My father was an executive committee member of Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) and Chairman of Mufulira Blackpool. He used to take my brother and me to matches almost every weekend.
We played barefoot on the gravel roads of Kamuchanga Township in Mufulira, on the copperbelt, every day. The ball was made of brown rubber and we were either at school or playing football. There were few cars in those days, so we would erect two little goalposts and play four against four or five against five. We would play ‘three change goals’ and ‘six finish ball’—meaning half time was when a team scored three goals and the victors were the team that scored six. There were times when the game lasted 10 minutes; there were times when the game took an hour. As kids, fatigue escaped us, as we played until sunset. At school, Perseverance Primary school in Ndola, my first leadership role was as captain of my under-10 team.
Kalusha during his younger years as a soccer player
I played for Buseko Community Centre Club under-14 side. This was my first taste of club football. This was a fantastic team and most of us were also the ball boys for Mufulira Blackpool, an honor which we took very seriously and gave us the privilege of seeing our footballing heroes at close range. Pre-match we watched in awe as our heroes got ready, warmed up and took to the field, with us leading them. The feeling was incredible as we emerged from the tunnel. I will never forget the roar of the crowds as we sprinted to take our positions on the field. That was my first taste of an adrenaline rush; it felt like we were going to war. My favourite ball boy position was always as close to the goalposts as possible. I was fascinated by the skill involved in scoring and found myself engrossed in the magic of the game.
Growing up in Zambia, school football was important and alive with fierce competition. I progressed through primary school as a consistently good player, but I really started to make my mark in secondary school. There were no specific age groups in those times but rather one team per school.
At training, I proved my skill even though I played without boots, was quite skinny and younger than the rest of the team. The coach always found a place for me to travel with them. Whether to carry the balls or just watch from the bench, I was always included and my hunger for the game grew. In 1979, my brother Benjamin, who was playing for Mufulira Blackpool, was called up to the Army.
At the age of 16, I attended trials at my brother’s team and was selected and registered. I fondly remember how proud I was to have finally made the leap from a schoolboy to serious player. It took me 11 games in the reserve side before I broke into the first team. The reserve league in my career was much like playing on the streets where the competition was tough and only the best surfaced.
We won 1-0 during my first match in the first team, which we played against Lusaka Tigers at Matero Stadium in Lusaka; I scored the winning goal! I still remember this day like it was yesterday. The coach always came to training with two team lists—a reserve team list that played before the main game and a first team list. When the coach read out the reserve list and my name was not called out, I started to worry, wondering what I had done wrong to be left out. But, as I was wondering, my name was read out for the first team and I jumped for joy! It was the most exhilarating experience in my life. I remember informing my parents that I was going into camp with Mufulira Blackpool FC; they were both proud and bemused at my 16-year-old nerve and tenacity.
The following year, I made the switch from Blackpool to the much bigger, if not the biggest club in Zambia, the legendary cup fighters: Mufulira Wanderers. This switch was due to my father being put under pressure by his employers, Mufulira Copper Mines, the then sponsors of Wanderers.
This is where I enjoyed some of my finest days in football to roaring crowds at the packed Shinde Stadium. I was in gradefive by then. I would spend half of my small stipend on cold drinks and bread buns for my classmates; the other half went to my very proud mother. In the same year I made my debut in the Copperbelt School select, as well as being called to the Zambia Schools National Team. These structures were highly successful in unearthing talent nationwide as well as maintaining the continuity that made Zambia an African football powerhouse.
At the age of 19, after rigorous trials, I was picked for Zambia. This was in 1982 just after Zambia came back from the Africa Nations Cup in Libya with a bronze medal.
Looking back at my early football career in Zambia, it is clear to me that everything I needed was instilled in me at a very early age. For me, this hammers home the importance of football development at youth level. This development, coupled with sustainability and continuity, is the key to a strong footballing nation.
There is no better teacher than sport itself, you should strive for enjoyment first, then the technical aspects will follow. There is definitely a strong link between grassroots and glory.