Twenty-seven local soccer coaches recently took part in a coaching clinic with a top-level Dutch instructor at 6 SA Infantry Battalion base.
The clinic, last week, was hosted by the Department of Sport, with the Stars in their Eyes organisation and the instructor was sent by KNVB – The Royal Netherlands Football Soccer Association, the governing body of football in the Netherlands which organises the main Dutch football leagues.
The world-travelled Dutch instructor, Piet De Jong, told Grocott's Mail, "We don't only deal in soccer issues but also social issues. We're teaching these coaches not only to coach on the field, but also to be life coaches for the young kids in the townships," De Jong said.
Twenty-seven local soccer coaches recently took part in a coaching clinic with a top-level Dutch instructor at 6 SA Infantry Battalion base.
The clinic, last week, was hosted by the Department of Sport, with the Stars in their Eyes organisation and the instructor was sent by KNVB – The Royal Netherlands Football Soccer Association, the governing body of football in the Netherlands which organises the main Dutch football leagues.
The world-travelled Dutch instructor, Piet De Jong, told Grocott's Mail, "We don't only deal in soccer issues but also social issues. We're teaching these coaches not only to coach on the field, but also to be life coaches for the young kids in the townships," De Jong said.
''In 2010 there was a joint bid between the Netherlands and Belgium to host the 2018 Soccer World Cup and in that we promised we would teach 2010 coaches in South Africa – hence these coaching clinics," De Jong said. "So far we have coached more than 300 women and men coaches in partnership with Stars in their Eyes."
Anga Ncebetsha, an official at the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, said, "The department of sport has a partnership with Stars in their Eyes to train coaches and the focus of the course is coaches who coach the youth levels."
Private Nthabiseng Mogotsi, of 6 SA Infantry Battalion, who also plays for the South African National Defence Force team didn't have a problem with being the only woman at the coaching clinic when Grocott's Mail asked. "There is nothing different with me being the only woman, as I normally work with men in the army. I'm planning to take young kids and coach them, because they see me as role model."
The clinic was also attended by former famous soccer players who are now coaching, including Max Bandzi, who played for Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs during the successful Paul Dolezar era, and Mzunani Mgwigwi a former Bush Bucks and South African U23 player.
