Pholo adds a competitive edge to UJ hockey
AUCKLAND PARK – New UJ hockey coach is keen to bring a competitive edge to the university's women's' team this year.
AUCKLAND PARK – Tsoanelo Pholo (35) is a former South African star, who scored seven goals in 53 internationals before retiring in 2010. She joined the management team late last year and is relishing the chance to pursue her passion for the game at UJ.
As a player, she overcame challenges at the highest level. Pholo has also qualified at the highest level (level 4) in the Federation of International Hockey structures, which she achieved in 2018. Having grown up in Maseru, her appointment came about after she received a call from UJ late last year. She said she had managed to make the transition from international player to coach without a hitch.
The UJ hockey set-up is on its way back to being as professional as the top teams in the world, said Pholo. “I am a very competitive individual so I am here to achieve nothing but positive results. It wasn’t easy to retire as a player to pursue my dream of becoming a world-class coach, but I have been coaching for 19 years so it wasn’t an unnatural transition.”
She has quickly made her mark as a coach. Besides taking charge of a number of representative teams, she guided the South African U18 team to the semi-finals of the Youth Olympic Games last year.
Pholo said their main goals for the year were the Varsity Hockey tournament, in which the women play every alternate year, as well as the University Sports South Africa week and the Southern Gauteng Premier League.
“My goal is to be a catalyst in spreading the sport to every corner of South Africa; every township, small or rural town, mining communities and urban areas. I am actively seeking opportunities that support this goal. “I am passionate about hockey and the development of the next generation of players.
“Coaching is about seeing the potential in every player and being the catalyst to bringing the best out of individual players. It is about being the glue that connects all that talent in a team.”
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