AFTER four decades of immersing himself in football culture, former Durbanite Santosh Ponen’s perseverance paid off after he was chosen as the sporting director of Inverness Thistle FC.
Inverness Thistle is a Scottish football club that was founded in 1885. IT went dormant after their last match in 1994. But the club has since partnered with funders and hired Ponen as one of the influential figures.
The 47-year-old Asherville-born football fanatic, together with another sporting director, Stuart Fraser, will be a central link between the board of directors, players and fans.
“As sporting director, I will be that bridge between all the teams faculties, like the board, the players as well as the management team. I will basically be a link between the entire company,” Ponen told the POST.
The road to Inverness, however, has been filled with a myriad of obstacles from work to personal life and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ponen has been living in Scotland for nearly two years and works as a hotel manager. The move to Scotland and acquiring the position at Inverness came in a rush, he explained.
“In November I was offered a job as hotel manager at a facility in Scotland. The hotel is an hour away from Inverness Football home grounds. Football is not so big in northern Scotland and at the time, the club was just emerging from a hiatus. They managed to secure much-needed funders and employed myself and Stuart as sporting directors. Everything happened within a space of a month.
“It is quite a massive role if I'm being honest. But I have the experience from playing to administering the game of football. I was lucky to have grown up in Asherville, which had an excellent football program at the time."
Ponen said Inverness Thistle FC would kick-start their new campaign in the sixth division league and hoped to rise.
The quality of European Football, according to Ponen, is right up when looked at from a global perspective.
The qualified advocate said his dedication to the game had paid off.
Ponen is still legally admitted as an advocate in South Africa and spent his career working in compliance and education. He has a LLB law qualification from the then Natal University.
The move to Scotland was not his first time abroad, as Ponen had frequented Europe for working opportunities and to follow his heart.
“I was courting a teacher at the time and she had just gotten a job in London. I moved up to be with her and after a couple months, I started working at the London local government in the compliance department. I worked there from 2003, the year in which I also married my first wife, until 2010.
"During my time in London, I started supporting West Ham FC and also managed to get my FA Level 1 coaching licence. It's not like South Africa, where people just support Man United, Liverpool or the other big clubs. In the UK, you support the team from the area you live in.
“In 2010, I moved back to South Africa and jumped around for another 10 years or so looking for work. It was extremely difficult after graduating to even try to open up my own law practice because I came from humble means, so I took what I could.
"From 2016 to 2017, I taught English in China. Then in 2018, I got a job as a teacher at Dr AD Lazarus Secondary School in Reservoir Hills. During that period in South Africa, my first wife and I got divorced and I got remarried. I have four sons from the two marriages,” said Ponen.
In many ways, all of his experiences as a child and youth shaped Ponen for the position which he now holds.
Ponen is a third generation footballer from his family but the only one to reach European level football.
While supporting West Ham FC in east London, Ponen also joined their administration ranks where he still works with the customer liaison team.
“Even though I am with Inverness Thistle, I still fly back to West Ham quite often to tend to my other job."
He also worked for the South African Football Association (SAFA) before leaving South Africa, where he provided legal guidance.
“Both my father and grandfather played football back in their day, so it was always in me. I started at 6-years-old for Tulip Rangers FC then moved to Dalien Stars in Springtown when I was 16. They asked me to sign for their senior team and I was ecstatic because I was still young. In 1994, I moved back to Tulip Rangers.
“Football in Durban at that time was thriving. Asherville had excellent facilities back then and had a really rigid structure for players to develop. In 1996, I started studying at Natal University and joined their team. I was the only Indian player on the team as it was an all-black side. I played until 1999.
"Besides the actual game, I worked behind the scenes administering football in Durban. SAFA eThekwini employed me on a voluntary basis to serve as legal aid. I have always loved the game and was willing to contribute no matter what."
He continued: “My biggest fan and person who inspires me the most is my wife Sanusha Moodliar-Ponen and my 4 sons - Tristan Quaid Ponen, Carlin Alesandro Ponen, Armaan Moodliar and Eashan Xinren Ponen.
"To my paternal grandfather, Khanna Ponnan, who was actively involved in the community of Asherville and my maternal grandfather, GP Naidoo, who played for Cato Stars, I want to say thank you for the football genes. To my mum, Somalamma Ponen, and late dad, Sathiaseelan Ponen, I want to say thank you for giving me a happy childhood and always supporting me in my love for football."
Martin Mainland, Chairman of Inverness Thistle FC, said Ponen was exactly what the team was looking for.
“We could not be happier with our appointments of both Stuart and Santosh. These two talented individuals are exactly what we were looking for in the interview process. We believe they carry the same values as the club and will help us develop and strengthen our performance on the park, while growing our engagement with the community. We are a lucky organisation to have secured such great people,” Young said.