Joel Bwalya
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joel Kangala Bwalya[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 24 October 1972 | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Zanaco (assistant coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1985–1986 | Mufulira Police | ||
| 1986–1987 | Mufulira Wanderers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1990 | Mufulira Wanderers | ||
| 1990–1999 | Cercle Brugge | ||
| 1994–1996 | → KRC Harelbeke (loan) | ||
| 1999–2000 | Zultse VV | ||
| 2002 | ZESCO United | ||
| International career | |||
| 1988-1989 | Zambia U16 | ||
| 1990-1991 | Zambia U20 | ||
| 1990–1997 | Zambia | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2010–2012 | Luanshya Hotspurs | ||
| 2012–2014 | Luanshya United | ||
| 2019–2020 | Ndola United | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Joel Bwalya (born 24 October 1972), also known as Joe Bwalya, is a Zambian football coach and former player who played for Mufulira Wanderers, Cercle Brugge, Harelbeke and Waregem. He is the younger brother of former Zambian captain Kalusha Bwalya. Bwalya featured for Zambia at the African Cup of Nations in 1990, 1994 and 1996 and has been the assistant coach at Zambia Super League club Zanaco since January 2020.
Early and personal life
Bwalya was born in Mufulira’s Kamuchanga township to Benjamin and Elidah Bwalya, the fifth born in a family of six boys and three girls.[2] His father worked for the local council before joining the mines and was a soccer administrator, serving as chairman of Mufulira Blackpool FC and as a Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) committee member.[2][3]
The brothers all played football with his elder brothers Benjamin Jr and Kalusha starting out at Mufulira Blackpool before joining Mufulira Wanderers.[3] Bwalya’s younger brothers Chongo, Chizaya and Chipampe had less illustrious careers though they all played for Wanderers among other teams.[2]
He grew up in a suburb of Mufulira called Eastlea and during his father’s tenure as chairman, Benjamin and Kalusha would take him along to Mufulira Blackpool matches to watch players like Alex Chola and Simon Kaushi.[3] This developed his interest in football, and when his brothers later started featuring for Blackpool, the young Bwalya got inspired and started playing with his friends in any space they could find in the neighbourhood.[3] He did his primary education at Pamodzi and Eastlea schools, before proceeding to Butondo and Mufulira Secondary schools.[2] When he was in the 10th grade, he quit school to focus on a football career. Of this decision, he said: “I had no interest in school. I wanted to do what my heart desired, which was to play football.”[4]
Club career
Bwalya played as a midfielder.[5] He began his career with Mufulira Police in 1985, moving to Mufulira Wanderers in 1986, and becoming a first-team member in 1987.[3] In 1988 he won the Independence Cup with Mufulira Wanderers.[3]
He later played in Belgium for Cercle Brugge, KRC Harelbeke and Zultse VV.[5] When he moved to Belgium in 1991 with Cercle Brugge, rejecting the chance to sign for Swiss club Grasshoppers, he did so because his older brother Kalusha had previously played for the club.[3] In 1994 he was loaned to KRC Harelbeke for two years.[3] Whilst with KRC Harelbekehe was voted the best foreign player in Division One.[3] KRC Harelbekehe wanted to make the loan permanent, but Bwalya returned to Cercle Brugge.[3]
He finished his career back in Zambia with ZESCO United.[6]
International career
In 1988 he was a member of the Zambia under-16 team playing qualifying matches for the 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship.[3] He was also a squad member for the under-20 team at the 1991 African Youth Championship.[3]
He also played for the senior team between 1990 and 1997,[5] making his international debut at the age of 18.[3] He was a squad member at the African Cup of Nations in 1990, 1994, and 1996.[3]
Coaching career
He coached at Luanshya Hotspurs and Luanshya United.[3] In 2017 he was an assistant coach at Red Arrows, before becoming manager of Ndola United.[3] He left Ndola United in January 2020 to become an assistant coach at Zanaco.[3]
References
- ^ https://www.zanacofc.co.zm/my-zanaco/staff/staff-member/bwalya-joel-kangala
- ^ a b c d "Joel Bwalya: Passion for youth soccer development". Zambia Daily Mail. Zambia Daily Mail. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Joel Bwalya, Kalusha's often forgotten brother". CAFOnline.com.
- ^ "Joel Bwalya shows one and all he’s no fluke," Zambia Daily Mail, 5 August 1993
- ^ a b c "Joel Bwalya". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- ^ "Joël Bwalya - Stats - titles won". www.footballdatabase.eu.
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- 1972 births
- Living people
- Zambian footballers
- Zambia youth international footballers
- Zambia under-20 international footballers
- Zambia international footballers
- Mufulira Wanderers F.C. players
- Cercle Brugge K.S.V. players
- K.R.C. Zuid-West-Vlaanderen players
- S.V. Zulte Waregem players
- ZESCO United F.C. players
- Association football midfielders
- Zambian football managers
- Zambian football biography stubs