18 March 2019 – In what is seen as a first in South African football, a total of 45 all-female SAFA D License graduates will receive their badges this coming Sunday, 24 March 2019 in the Umkhanyakude Region in KZN.
Anna Nyman, who is overseeing this ambitious project, said she was excited at the rate women in this part of the country were showing that what men can do, women can do better.
“This is part of Football For Life women empowerment initiative through football in which we design our own coaching programmes that suit our female coaches,” said Nyman.
She said with the help of the Department of Sport in KwaZulu Natal, they offer more than coaching to these aspiring coaches.
“Before they undertake any coaching course, we take them through various educational programmes such as refereeing, competition and administration so that they have the basics and broader background of the sport,” she said.
Nyman said it was important for any aspiring coach to have a good understanding of the rules of the game before going through the coaching courses.
The Umkhanyakude Region is way ahead of others when it comes to women empowerment within football.
“We have 53 women teams affiliated to SAFA, meaning these women coaching graduates have ready-made assignments waiting for them. On top of this, we have had administration courses for all of our teams,” she added.
Nyman, who is a member of the SAFA Technical Committee, said the Region had so far trained 20 female referees, of which five are already officiating within the SAFA SAB league