Janine van Wyk reflects on transition from professional footballer to coaching
Former Banyana Banyana captain Janine van Wyk has reflected on her transition from being a professional footballer to coaching, outlining the challenges she has faced.
Van Wyk officially retired from the beautiful game last year in December after setting a new African record for the most capped player, male or female.
This came after she surpassed Ahmed Hassan’s record of the highest number of caps [184] on the continent, achieving 185 appearances in Banyana colours. The ex-Egyptian international, Hassan, maintained the record for the most capped player in Africa for 11 years.
Following her retirement, she was appointed as the assistant coach of JVW FC in the Hollywoodbets Super League, a club she co-founded.
Van Wyk holds a UEFA B coaching Licence, having completed her coaching course with the Scottish Football Association – [Scottish FA] in November 2022.
WHAT JANINE VAN WYK SAID ABOUT HER COACHING TRANSITION, CHALLENGES, AND KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HER FIRST SEASON
The 37-year-old expressed that her shift from playing football to coaching has been remarkable and takes pleasure in sharing her expertise with her players.
She proceeded to mention several insights she gained as a coach in her first season in the Hollywoodbets Super League as a coach.
“Switching from player to coach has been exciting but challenging. I love sharing what I know and seeing players grow,” van Wyk told FARPost.
“One of the biggest challenges is adjusting my approach to meet the needs of different players and thinking from a coach’s point of view, not just a player’s.
“My first season taught me how important it is to communicate well with each player since everyone responds differently.”
The 2022 WAFCON winner continued: “I also saw how much I can learn from the rest of the technical team and how teamwork makes a big difference.”
JVW finished the season in position five with 55 points from 30 outings. They dropped two places from the last campaign.
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