From Lesotho to NCAA Soccer and Back Again | Lepe Seetane

Welcome to Episode 20 of the Because Football Podcast! Our guest for Episode 20 of the Because Football Podcast is Lepe Seetane, who is currently the graduate assistant coach for the Spalding University men's soccer team. As a teenager, Lepe had the opportunity to move to Louisville, Kentucky from his home of Lesotho, a country in Southern Africa. He was an All-American at Trinity High School before enjoying a decorated playing career at Northwestern University. A Big Ten champion and All-Big Ten selection with the Wildcats, Seetane had spent the previous five years back in Lesotho, where he was serving as the Director of Football for Kick4Life FC. In addition to his coaching duties at Spalding, Seetane serves on staff with the Louisville City FC Academy. Seetane holds his Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern and also holds a Master’s degree from Bellarmine University. He will be pursuing his Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling while on-campus. Lepe shares his background as a child growing up in Lesotho, and how the opportunities for unstructured play fostered his creativity and self expression with the ball. We discuss his coaching philosophy, and his belief in a mix of structure and freedom for developing players. Throughout the twists and turns, soccer was always present in Lepe's life. We talk about the importance of being a part of a team, and how coaches can support their players' mental health by being present, observant, and referring them to the right support services. For me personally, the cool part about this episode is that Lepe and I first "met" each other back in 2006 at the 3v3 National Championships at Disney in Orlando, Florida. His team comfortably smoked mine. We discuss the benefits of 3v3 soccer, how it can help young players develop their 1v1 attacking and defending abilities. After graduating from Northwestern, he moved back to Lesotho to lead Kick 4 Life, a social enterprise our mission is to transform the lives of vulnerable young people in Lesotho, and in doing so to promote long-term sustainable development. While there, Lepe realized tha tmany of his players needed expert assistance off the field, and were suffering from mental health issues that had their roots in trauma, abuse, poverty. After experiencing this, Lepe was moved to go back to graduate school to study Behavioral Health. Lepe's journey is very unique and touching. We appreciate him sharing his story with us and wish him the best as he moves forward. For more information about Lepe Seetane: Connect with Lepe on LinkedIn Spalding University Men's Soccer Kick 4 Life Lesotho Website Connect with Because Football: Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn Because Football Instagram Because Football Youtube Transform Soccer Instagram Transform Soccer Website