Video: Female soccer coach kicks a hole in stereotypes

Kagiso teacher and sports enthusiast Londiwe Hlatstwayo kicked a hole in stereotypes after being offered a coaching position in Tsogo Sun’s soccer programme.

Hlatstwayo became a soccer coach at Khaselihle Primary School by accident where she was noticed by Tsogo Sun staff.

She was the netball coordinator at a school she worked at before and with this experience and commitment Hlatstwayo was ready to step into a netball coaching position at Khaselihle Primary.

But there were no netball coaching posts available. Undeterred, she became an athletics coach.

When the athletics season drew to an end she decided to take on the intimidating task of becoming a coach in soccer – usually a male-dominated sport.

As someone who had never played soccer before but who loved the game, Hlatstwayo had to acquire knowledge of the sport to become the best soccer coach she could.

She then became the proud coach of the U/12 and U/14 soccer teams at Khaselihle Primary School in the Tsogo Sun Soccer Academy school league.

The U/14 team has won a number of tournaments recently and with continuous training, dedication and growing strategic understanding by the U/12 soccer team she hopes to continue their winning streak.

She has completed the Safa introductory level course and is planning to do the Safa Level 1 course.

“I enjoy soccer more than netball now,” she says.

To ensure the sustainability of Tsogo Sun Soccer Academy one of its key components is sourcing coaches from the participating schools,” says Tsogo Sun Group Human Resources Director Vusi Dlamini.

“The coaches are given the opportunity to become accredited coaches through the programme’s association with the South African Football Association (Safa) and various other bodies such as the KVNB Dutch Football Association international coaching workshops,” he explains.

Hlatstwayo recently was interviewed on the SABC 2 breakfast show Morning Live.

Watch the video: