Luyanda Mncedane from Gamalakhe, White City has been granted an opportunity to work with award-winning soccer manager, Pitso Mosimane.
“It was a tough selection process, as I was one of 500 applicants. I was invited for an interview in September last year and I got a call in March that I’ve been selected to coach at Nova Pioneer Midrand from June. I’m hoping to develop as a coach at the Pitso Mosimane Soccer School and maybe one day produce players that will represent the country as Bafana Bafana,” Mncedane added.
He said he was honoured to be working for Mosimane.
Mncedane, a Communication Science student at UNISA said he started coaching at the University of Johannesburg in 2018, and fell in love with it.
“I got my coaching licence, SAFA D Licence in 2019. I spent a lot of time in Johannesburg in the last few years coaching at Trinity House Glenvista, SA School of Soccer, Panorama FC and Trinity House Randpark Ridge. In between, I’ve been coaching at Gamalakhe Hotspurs.”
The 24-year-old matriculated at Port Shepstone High in 2016 and was very involved in the sport.
” I represented the Ugu District team in the inter-district tournaments from Grades 9 to 11. My passion for the game inspired me to coach. I was hoping to be a professional footballer, but when that dream didn’t happen, I turned my attention to developing players.”
He said as a player, he was well trained by two coaches, Nhlanhla Mbili and Tino Sbukwane.
“They taught me football. My advice to soccer enthusiasts is that they should look at coaching as an opportunity to grow soccer on the South Coast. We haven’t been producing professional players in a while and we need more qualified coaches to produce the best players.”
His father, Paul Mncedane also played a huge role in his career. “He introduced me to football, guided and encouraged me to aim higher.”
Mncedane said he is excited for the future and to make the South Coast proud.
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