Tampa Bay Rowdies veteran forward publishes book on strategies to help youth

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Rowdies can count themselves lucky thanks to veteran forward Lucky Mkosana. 

"I can't emphasize enough just what he means to this club. In big moments he's always been there," said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. 

And at 35 years old, Mkosana still carries the same passion for the game he had growing up. 

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"For me, it's about a love of the game," he said. "I come in day in and day out and help the team in any way I can. I've been playing this my whole life and I feel good, so I've got to keep playing." 

Over his lengthy career in the states, including three separate stints with the Rowdies, Mkosana has endeared himself to the hearts of fans, teammates and coaches along the way.

"Behind the scenes, he's a coach's dream because of the standards he sets and the way he acts as a person in terms of a role model," Collins said. 

And while Mkosana may be a coach's dream, the veteran forward may just have a future in coaching himself. 

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"When you grow up playing the game, you want to pass on your skills and knowledge to the kids," he said. 

When he's not in uniform with the Rowdies, Mkosana runs a local youth team, which led him to a new passion all together – writing. 

"That's when I discovered I really like to convey my message with words," he said. 

Over the last year Mkosana has published a bi-monthly newsletter covering the topics of youth sports. Ultimately, he decided to collect his thoughts all in one place and self-published his own book called "The Parent-Coach Playbook: Strategies for Success on and off the Field." 

"Obviously, I can't play for a long time, so I can't keep that knowledge to myself," Mkosana said. "So, for me, [the book] is something that's going to be there for a long time." 

But the story of his career is still being written. 

"He's a player right now, and we're glad to have him as a player," Collins said.