From Soweto to Norway: Bly Chitja's path to the Homeless World Cup

IOL News

7 hours ago

Bly Chitja for the South African Homeless Football Team travelling to Norway in August 2025
Image: AfrikaExperience
The 2025 Homeless World Cup, an annual football tournament celebrating its 20th anniversary, is set to kick off in Oslo, Norway, from August 23 to 30. T
he World Cup is about much more than a set of competitive, fast, high-quality matches. Central to the global event is its initiative, providing a powerful platform for those who have experienced forms of homelessness and housing insecurity to rewrite their futures through the power of sport.
Among those traveling to the the world cup will be Bly Chitja along alongside his compatriots, Waseem Jacobs, Gift Valtyn, Marvin Windvogel, Simcelile Gxoyiya, Dylan Esau, and Luthando Sibulelo Fuyani.
His story, and that of his teammates, is a powerful example of passion and purpose, and how, when given a second chance at life's game, anything can become possible; more than just one's dreams coming true.
Bly is what coaches call an all-rounder, agile on the turn, and adaptable across the four-a-side format of the Homeless World Cup. His early footballing roots trace back to the dusty streets of Soweto, where games would erupt at any time of the day in between on highways and taxi ranks.
To this day, he plays with flair and quick feet that move past the eye, all whilst remaining focused with humility, "I'm not the biggest, but I've got the flair. Give me the ball and I'll make anything happen," Bly says.
Off the pitch, Bly stays focused and grounded. He often films TikTok videos that capture his team and, more importantly, his love for dancing and expressive soul. Here, Bly expresses his green and gold heart.
Since the age of five, Bly has had one constant: soccer. On the pitch, he confronts the struggles of his youth as the pitch becomes his sanctuary, his silent confidant, where his past life finally recedes.
When he heard about trials for the South African Homeless World Cup team earlier this year, he recounts with a touch of self-doubt, almost as if it happened to someone else, admitting he had "no idea he would make the team." However, he did.
Now, Bly is going to Norway for the Homeless World Cup. To him, it's not just a tournament; it's the realization of a dream he once thought too grand, too impossible even to whisper.
For Bly, he's not here for anyone but soccer.
As a youngster, Bly found himself navigating the streets of Soweto as he played the game of the 'fast life' he describes. These words carried a lingering scent of a traumatic past, he explained, always moving, always seeking the next job. Born in Johannesburg in 1998, he left home at an early age and went to live with his grandmother in Soweto.
Now 26, Bly carries those memories like old scars. Visible yet fading as he sets his sights on his future. Looking ahead, he is straight-headed toward the future, as he locks away his past.
Bly's move to Cape Town was no small feat; he had to detach himself from his crew, which he described as 'nearly impossible,' especially after witnessing the deaths of two of his closest friends due to this lifestyle.
It takes a specific kind of fortitude and inner strength to break free from the lifestyle he experienced in Johannesburg. It was space and time where he and his crew were comrades in arms, all whilst working for a boss.
When it came to getting out of this tightly knitted network of life, getting out meant was for Bly, " a once-in-a-lifetime, either life or death choice," he explains.
His journey to the Cape was a much slower bus ride, a stark contrast to the blur of countless drives behind the wheels of cars he and his crew had stolen.
Bly knows deep down that there is more to his life than the relentless grind of the fast life. His decision to leave reflects that he carries no regrets, and "I cannot go back," Bly reflects.
Recalling a memory of how he and his crew had hijacked a car, he sat in the driver's seat of the stolen vehicle. "I remember as if I was not in the driving seat of my life," he tells IOL, and "I was without direction, no purpose
Bly sat and looked over his shoulder towards Table Mountain, hesitant at first. He speaks of his claim to fame as a youngster with a smile on his face, Bly self-describes himself as the "naughty boy, a funny guy, and that's who I am," he laughs.
Running away from home was a drastic step for young Bly, and after dropping out of high school, "it was just not for me," he says, and even for a "funny guy," the streets of Soweto came with an immense pressure that held no space for any jokes.
It was his grandmother who was an anchor for Bly during these turbulent years. After running away from his home, he moved in with her.
Finding a fragile stability amid the chaos and in the absence of his father, whom he describes as 'manipulative and absent,' only came when his father sought something, he tells IOL.
Even with his grandmother's support, the allure of the streets and the relentless rhythm of the 'fast life' continued to pull him.
His crew was his surrogate family, filling part of the void left by his absent father and fractured home. Working for a boss in this underworld meant carrying out high-stakes showmanship hijackings.
For Bly, these weren't just mischievous doings; it became his "bread and butter for the next day," he mentions quietly. His survival depended on these memories he prefers to forget, for the game of the fast life was "survival of the fittest," Bly affirms. A crucible that forged his resilience, even as it threatened to consume him.
Leaving Soweto wasn't just one thing; his journey to the Mother City wasn't just a physical distance on a rumbling bus; more so, it was a deliberate break away from one life in hopes of embracing another.
Bly knew in his heart there was more to life than the relentless grind he'd left behind. This decision to move wasn't an impulse one. It was his grandmother's wish for him, and, too, his life's dream.
Life in Cape Town presented its own set of challenges, but they were different. Here, Bly's game was about building, not surviving. He found his way to the Youth Solutions building in Salt River, which was just after COVID.
He now calls home the Youth Soulution's building in Salt River, Cape Town, dedicated to giving young people from all walks of life a new start. Youth Solutions, for Bly, is his home. It provided the structure and nurturing environment he had not known before.
As the chaotic echoes of his past faded and a supportive, steady rhythm of a life built on purpose replaced them, he took the opportunity to start writing his very different future.
OASIS, the organization that has played a pivotal role in Bly's journey, has been at the core of Bly's heart; it has offered him the opportunity, stability, and guidance that led him directly to his selection for the National Team.
OASIS, at its heart, embodies the core mission of the Homeless World Cup: providing pathways to reintegration, fostering self-belief, and building community through the structure and discipline of sport. For Bly, OASIS has not just been a facilitator; it has been his bedrock, empowering his renewed hope to chase his footballing dreams with absolute vigour.
Having already secured a place with OASIS upon his return from Norway, Bly's ultimate goal is to play professionally in South Africa, for clubs like Cape Town City, Cape Town Spurs, or Stellenbosch FC.
He frequently speaks of the words he has heard many times, "Boy, you're a star, don't quit this thing, just carry on playing, boy, you're good," Bly tells IOL.