Former Banyana Banyana midfielder proves to be a formidable coach
For ardent Katlehong soccer fan, coach and former Banyana Banyana midfielder Lydia 'Bazooka' Zwane, training and coaching young teenage boys about the sport she has grown to love best has become a lifetime passion.
“I have been a football fanatic since I learnt how to kick anything that was round and resembled a ball,” said the mother of two.
Lydia proudly admitted that not only was she a formidable midfielder in the national women’s football team, but she was also harbouring dreams of one day being a soccer coach of note.
Bazooka, as she is fondly known, described her passion as grooming young local boys into soccer stars.
“The process encourages and inspires them away from drugs and crime. It gives them a purpose,” she said.
The coach has gone beyond just grooming her young soccer stars, she has also gone on to establish strong bonds with the families of each and every one of her budding football protégés.
“They are more than a group of soccer players to me. They’ve become my children,” said Zwane, who boasts of two sets of twins in her team.
