Rushwin Dortley highlights family influence as brother Emile follows his path

Kaizer Chiefs defender Rushwin Dortley says the support of his family has been central to his football development after attending the Engen Champ of Champs national finals to watch his younger brother, Emile.

The 24-year-old Bafana Bafana defender was at the University of Pretoria with members of his family as Emile represented the Kaizer Chiefs Under-18 side at the tournament.

Emile came through the Cape Town Spurs academy before joining the Chiefs development team ahead of the 2026/27 season. Like his older brother, he is a left-footed centre-back.

The teenager also featured in Chiefs’ DStv Diski Challenge opening match of the campaign against Orlando Pirates last weekend and contributed as the Glamour Boys went on to be crowned champions.

“It’s a good initiative for the young boys, it’s a good tournament, a lot of quality but most importantly I came to support my brother but overall it’s a good tournament, there’s a lot of good football,” Dortley said.

He believes the competition provides an important challenge for young players who regularly face the same opponents in the Gauteng Development League.

“I think it’s very important because I think the boys in the GDL (Gauteng Development League), they are used to playing against each other, 17, 18, 19, all the age groups against the same players,” he said.

“So, it’s important to bring different provinces, different types of players, players with different profiles to test and bring the best out of each other.”

Family support inspired Rushwin

Dortley said his family’s presence at the tournament also reflected the backing he received when he was developing as a player.

“With us being here, it shows that everything can be done, it just gives them a little bit of motivation to see that we also come and watch them, to support,” he said.

“It’s important for the family to support because when I grew up, my whole family cousins, aunties, grandma, grandpa, everyone used to be on the field every Saturday.”

That regular encouragement helped persuade him to keep pursuing a career in football, and he hopes Emile can draw similar motivation from the family’s support.

“It helped me a lot, to motivate me. It pushed me to go further. That is what we’re trying to do with my brother as well,” Dortley added.

“He has grown a lot since he came from Cape Town to this side and he’s been doing good. He just needs to keep going and get better.”