25 July 2018– The 2018 provincial Sasol League roadshows have come to an end, with the last roadshow taking place on the 14thof July 2018.
Sasol, in partnership with SAFA, visited six provinces around the country with the aim of providing Banyana Banyana coach, Desiree Ellis, the opportunity to scout some of the best talent in South Africa.
The six roadshows took place in Gauteng, North West, Limpopo, Western Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Northern Cape.
The roadshows, which began on the 18thof May 2018, saw Ellis searching for the best players South Africa has to offer in order to broaden the talent pool for the national team.
Each provincial roadshow consisted of a three-day programme which included a workshop, run by Ellis, assisted by local coaches, sharing her knowledge on talent scouting techniques and significantly contributing to their skills development.
The aim for upskilling the local coaches is to also equip them with the skills to scout players themselves, that way there are multiple individuals all over the country keeping an eye out for potential national team players, not just the national team coach.
“It was a great opportunity provided by Sasol and SAFA to visit the provinces and scout talent. It has given us a chance to select some of the best talent considering that most of the Banyana Banyana players come from the Sasol League. We had a lot of interaction with the coaches which was encouraging,” said Ellis.
“I believe that it is a collective effort to raise the standard of football in the Sasol League, which will assist in raising the standard in the national team as well. Coaches also need to continue to go through coaching courses to educate themselves because football is evolving and we need to always be on top of our game.’’
During each roadshow, a day is dedicated to Sasol League official fixtures, giving teams the chance to show off their skills in front of supporters and Ellis. The next day is dedicated to selections, where Ellis selects the best players in the province to potentially become part of the U17, U20 and Banyana Banyana players.
Nozipho Mbatha, Sasol Group Brand Marketing Manager, added, “The Sasol League provincial roadshows have been such a successful journey for us. Our goal, together with SAFA, was to create an opportunity for the Banyana Banyana coach to assist in upskilling Sasol League coaches in order to make them aware of what is expected in the national team. We further hope that the roadshows have helped the teams by providing them a platform to showcase their talent. We’d like to thank our partner SAFA for working with us in making these roadshows a possibility.’’
In December the winners of each provincial league will go head tohead at the Sasol League National Championships at a venue still to be announced.
For more details and updates about the Sasol League, follow @SasolLeague on Twitter or Facebook.
For media enquiries please contact:
Tshegofatso Mashala Thomas Sadiki
tshegofatso.mashala@levergy.co.za SAFA Head of Competitions
082 417 4382
076 449 3724 sadikit@safa.net