Coach Shakes Manyakalla celebrated by his players.
Refilwe Sebola
If a qualified coach by definition is one with impressive credentials, experience and a great achievement record, these coaches qualify to get a job in the new season.
First on the list is Bolobedu based former Bafana Bafana player Stanley Kgatla. The Ramotshinyadi born tactician is a qualified CAF C license coach with many years of experience as a professional player and as a coach.
He was part of the Silver Stars team of 2002/3 season that won promotion to the Premier Soccer League. In the PSL he captained the now defunct Platinum Stars for eight years before joining Amazulu, Mpumalanga Black Aces and Highlandspark from whom he retired as a player to pursue a coaching career.
He coached the likes of African All Stars and Highlandspark in the more competitive Gauteng ABC Motsepe league and finished as runners-up with All Stars in 2022.
Experienced ex-professionals like him bring to the team the ability to develop players’ personal performance and skills.
Another available and qualified coach with experience is Ivan “Chief” Malahlela. The CAF D license holder and former Winnerspark coach has a very good track record both in the ABC Motsepe league and in youth development. He was coach of ABC Motsepe league sides Polokwane City Rovers in 2005 and Turfloop City in 2021 before joining Winnerspark on a short spell in January this year. At Winnerspark he coached only three games and was surprisingly dismissed even though he never lost a game.
In youth development “Chief” was coach of his own soccer academy called TS Academy where he produced many top quality players such as former Amazulu defender Tercious Malepe, the late Sundowns defender Mojeka Madisha and Fortune Makaringe of Orlando Pirates to name just a few.
Special coaches like him, who have worked with young players, brings to the club the necessary confidence in young players and invest in the future success of the club.
The third and last coach deserving to lead a club in the new season is former Jozy United mentor Shakes Manyakalla. The former Gezani Assernal and National First Division side City Sharks player has a good track record in SAB and second division football. He was coach of ABC Motsepe league sides Mathaithai FC with whom he qualified for the Nedbank last sixteen.
He also coached Bloemfontain Celtics Colts and Real Madrid between the years 2004 and 2022. Among other qualifications in his possession is the South African Football Coaches Association (SAFCA) coaching certificate which qualifies him to develop structures and ideals for proper development of world class players within a team structure.
He was instructed in the local football playing philosophy by the late former Director of football in South Africa Ted Dumitru.
The experienced, Stanley”Bingo” Kgatla during his days at Platinum Stars
Coach Ivan Malahlela during his time at Winnerspark