Coaches running against time to meet new coaching requirements?
With a few months left before SAFA implements the coaching requirements, the association’s technical director Walter Steenbok has shared some insight on how coaches have equipped themselves.
SAFA announced last year that as of the beginning of the 2024/25 season, they will be implementing the coaching requirements as part of the CAF Club licensing regulations.
A coach in the DStv Premiership and Motsepe Foundation Championship will be required to have a CAF A license and an assistant coach must have a B license. A coach in the ABC Motsepe League and Hollywoodbets Super League will be required to have a C license.
The association has been conducting the courses at different levels across the country recently with former players and coaches attending in large numbers.
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Steenbok says they have been impressed by the participation, including from current PSL coaches.
“We have received a big turnout of coaches who are already in the PSL either as head coaches or as assistant coaches,” he told FARPost.
“I would say the majority of the coaches we are expecting have already applied. So we are happy with what we are getting because others have not done CAF coaching licenses before. Even though last year December we had C license courses and even this year we had C and D courses.
“Others have not really been interested to come to the party. But I am happy with what I have seen in terms of the application that we have seen. We have coaches in the NFD who have applied, as well as coaches in the Hollywoodbets Super League and the ABC Motsepe League,” he added
“We also have coaches who are previously national team coaches who have applied for the B license.”
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“We have seen a 40-45 percent increase in the number of courses,” he said.
“This year alone, we have already had five C Licence courses. We have already had about six D license courses, only this year. We are in our third phase of the C license. Then on 22 March is the closing date for the B license.
“So we are on track. On top of that we are going a little bit further and a refresher and grading course for educators. I have 105 coach educators in the system but some are no longer active and some have passed on. So we want to give them a refresher course for coach educators.”
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