21 November 2022- The Women’s Football Stakeholder Workshop being held by the South African Football Association (SAFA) in conjunction with world football governing body FIFA, got under way in Johannesburg on Monday, 21 November 2022.
The workshop which is aimed at formulating a women football strategy is being attended by among others, SAFA Technical Director Walter Steenbok, SAFA COO Lydia Monyepao, SAFA women’s national team coaches and several administrators. The coaches attending the workshop include Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis, Simphiwe Dludlu, Anna Monate, Jabulile Baloyi and Maude Khumalo.
FIFA consultants Thuba Sibanda and Sue Ronan are moderating the three-day workshop.
In his opening remarks, newly-appointed SAFA TD Steenbok said the workshop could not have come at a better time as he was busy developing a strategy to grow women football.
He said the technical development plan for women should be a blueprint that speaks to South Africans and not come across as a foreign concept.
Steenbok said the national team selection should reflect the diverse of the country and players should be drawn from every part of the country; not only Gauteng as is mainly the case at the moment.
The TD said it was imperative for the Association to enlist the services of the director of women football, someone whose duties are dedicated purely to the development women football.
If South Africa is to grow, we need to learn from the best practices and the mass training of coaches is a must. Steenbok said trained coaches must be given opportunities to encourage more coaches coming to the fore.
Opening the workshop, SAFA vice-president Linda Zwane said growth of women’s football was one of SAFA’s Vision 2022’s core plans and the rise of women football in the country was not a coincident.
He said the next stage was Vision 2030 and women’s game was very much part of that agenda.