Carling
Black Label, South Africa’s best-selling beer, has committed to invest
R1-million
per year until 2015 towards the development of young and upcoming soccer
coaches in South Africa and the Carling Black Label Coaches Workshop forms the
core of that commitment.
A
total of 36 coaches from the SAB Regional League (3rd division) will be
schooled on what it takes to be a
modern-day tactician over a four day master-class involving intensive theoretical and practical
training.. The hope is that participants will take this knowledge back to their
communities and help to develop young footballers for the professional ranks.
A
host of experts from within South African football and the world of sports
science will give presentations on everything from match tactics, planning a
training session and the latest trends on modern football, to nutrition,
psychology and the principles of leadership.
The
aim is to give the 36 coaches as broad an understating of the modern game as
possible by introducing them to speakers and subjects that they would not ordinarily
be exposed to.
“It
is a lot for the coaches to take in, we saw that last year, but our workshop
gives them an excellent platform from which to go on and do their SAFA courses
and perhaps one day become a professional coach in the Premier Soccer League,”
Mosimane says.
“We
have managed to bring in the very best experts in their field, many from the
University of Johannesburg, to show that there is so much more to preparing a
football team than just picking eleven players.
“Coaches
have a lot more to think about these days and a lot more science that can be
used to help them get the best out of their players. That is what we want to
show these coaches. Obviously a part of the course does involve tactical
training, but that makes up just a small part.”
Mosimane
will be assisted by SAFA Coaching Educator Steve Coetsee, as well as former
national team goalkeeping coach Grant Johnson.
“The
coaches that took part in the workshop last year were blown away by the content
that was served up and left here after the week much better equipped to lead
their sides. We are thankful too for the help of the University of Johannesburg
in not only hosting us, but also making available their experts.”
Carling
Black Label began their sponsorship of the workshop in 2011 as a continuation
of their ‘Be the Champion Coach’ campaign during the Carling Black Label Cup.
“We
believe that growing the standard of coaching at grassroots level is one of the
key elements in helping to lift our football to the level we believe we should
be at. We are empowering these coaches with knowledge from some of the top
experts in South Africa and we hope that they will go on to have successful
careers themselves, and perhaps even inspire a few budding coaches in their own
communities,” SAB Head of Sponsorships, Rob Fleming says .
“One
of the key lessons coming out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa was
the fact that our country has a dearth of coaching ability. At the time it was
widely reported in the media that we only had three FIFA accredited coaches.
This created an opportunity for SAB to continue its meaningful support of
football in South Africa and the Carling Black Label Cup “Coach the Coaches”
campaign, would be just the right vehicle to make a significant contribution in
this area. That is at the heart of the Carling Black Label Coaches Workshop.
The
Carling Black Label Coaches Workshop provides opportunities that would
otherwise never materialise for grassroots coaches.
We
believe that there are some fantastic coaches in communities across the
country, but they do not have the financial means to take their skills to the
next level. We hope to give them a platform from which they can build their
careers and to that end our partnership in this initiative with Pitso Mosimane
and the University of Johannesburg is not only an exciting opportunity to
unearth new talent, but a rewarding one for us as well,” Fleming concluded.
