Mark Haskins enjoyed a 12-year career in which he turned out for teams like Jomo Cosmos, Moroka Swallows, SuperSport United and Bidvest Wits. He played his last ever professional match in a Nedbank Cup Final in 2013. The former midfielder opens up on his biggest splurges, the best investment he made and what he is up to these days.
Where it all started
Everything started in Eldorado Park for me, literally at 8 years old. I moved from one area of Eldos across the highway across the main road. The one side we didn't play much football. When I moved across the main road, they only played football, so I became infatuated with the game. I was playing along the street more than anything until eventually playing for Eldos Sporting and thereafter Maestros in Bosmont and from there I joined the sister program to School of Excellence, which is the Super Center, the Transnet School of Excellence. It was actually called Neil Tovey School of Excellence or something along those lines. The only difference is we didn't go to the school full time, but we got the same training and everything and it was headed up by Farouk Khan.
My professional career
I am honored to have been able to do what I love for a living, so to be able to kick a ball and get paid for it has been an absolute blessing.
My biggest splurge
I don't have anything that I can say I splurged on. I don't know if I made enough money for me to splurge but the biggest thing I did was take my friends out for dinner, that was my biggest splurge. After winning the Coca-Cola Cup with Cosmos, getting a bonus, I took all my friends out to Monte Casino and we had a dinner at the Meat Company. That's probably my biggest splurge. If I remember correctly. I don't think it was more than R1000.
Where were your friends?
These are not friends that showed up during my career. These are guys that grew up with. They've been there my entire career, so they were always very encouraging and supportive, and they never expected anything from me, even after I turned pro. It's not like they expected me to be the guy who's always supporting them or anything. I didn't have to support any of my friends in anyway so. They were very supportive. They didn't treat me any differently from before I played. We actually had a big family lunch with all the families came together at my house and just like a potluck, where everyone just brings their pots. So yeah, they're still very active in my in my friendship, we still play football together as well. I grew up playing football with these guys and on the odd occasion we still play, whether it's 5-a side or 11 a-side vets football.
The best purchase I made?
I think more investing in myself. But yeah, I didn't make an insane amount of money where I could, like, start up a business or whatever the case may be. I bought a house, that was the major investment that I have and so that is something I guess I was most proud of. You know, it's a house we still enjoy as a family today. But investing myself I when I moved to Wits, I did journalism as a course and that helped me when I moved over into the media space at eTV and even now as as an analyst, all that helps in a big way. So I think investing in myself, even though it's not the full degree of what I would have wanted to do, but I think that more than anything was the investment in myself.
What did your family say?
So I think for me a big part was my wife I had. I have, I should say, an amazing woman by my side. And so when my career ended, it didn't end the way I would have wanted. It didn't end in a swansong. So having a supportive, loving wife was everything to me. I think that was the difference ultimately, and that's what kept me going and why I was able to move on to the next chapter and to the next phase and didn't dwell too long on the fact that my career was over.
What was your frame of mind?
Well, I think it's more my parents and then also my wife who encouraged it more than anything. I was I guess your typical football or just wanted to play football but in hindsight. You know, you realize how important it is to invest in yourself and to develop yourself as a human being, not just as a footballer and so I wouldn't want to take any credit for that because I had great opportunities that I didn't maximize on. Even my when I went to varsity in the USA, I didn't take full advantage of the opportunity because I didn't have the right mindset around it. But yes, like I say in hindsight, I do realize the importance of it and that's why I advocate for it.
If I could do it all again
Yeah, that you're more than just a footballer. I think a lot of times we box ourselves and you know the stereotypes around footballers that you know we're not smart or whatever the case may be, not to buy into that, but that you're more than a footballer and to develop myself as a human being, holistically so. I have so many gifts and so many talents that I could have really tapped into, and I didn't because I was all football. Just develop yourself holistically and you will always know self-improvement. Self-development is critical so as much as you want to be the best possible footballer you can be, why not be the best possible human being you can be and that's definitely one thing I would do better.
What I'm doing now and how much I'm making
Well, the reality is, since I stopped playing, I've literally had to work more than one job at a time. So, I was Head of Football at Wits while I was working at eTV as a presenter, and co-anchor, Sunrise Breakfast show. Even now, I work at SABC as an analyst while I'm doing other things as well working as an agent. So I've had to literally supplement my income with two or three different jobs at a time, sometimes. So it's been a hustle purely after I've I stopped playing. It was much easier when I was playing because I was just focusing on football. But since then, like every other football out there, so between coaching between the workers and analysts, there's a lot happening and so I'm trying to obviously do what needs to be done to make ends meet.
