Simphiwe Dludlu feels that her international career has come full circle after playing for both the junior and senior teams before coaching them.
Safa loaded the African champions with ammunition to fire at the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. This includes the appointment of Dludlu as one of coach Desiree Ellis’s assistants, alongside long-serving deputy Thinasonke Mbuli and Shilene Booysen as the technical adviser.
Dludlu played for Banyana Banyana and the juniors before retiring in 2014 and she then worked her way up to become the U17 national women’s team coach in 2017.
Dludlu guided Bantwana to their second World Cup in Uruguay, after the initial group made the 2010 finals in Trinidad and Tobago.
Being key in integrating young players into Banyana, Dludlu held the fort for Ellis in some Cosafa Cup matches before she was drafted into the backroom staff for this World Cup.
She’s excited with how the current group of players have taken over the reins from the earlier generation.
“I think I have hit 360 in a sense because the players that are seniors in the team were juniors when I was a senior. When I retired, they took over and they’ve done an incredible job,” Dludlu said.
Over the years, the number of players exported from the Sasol League and Super League to overseas clubs has grown significantly. This excites Dludlu because it means the coaching side is working well.
“For us, it’s exciting to see a team that’s athlete-led. When coach Des stands in front of the players you can see that they understand what she demands of them,” Dludlu said.
Women’s football might have been rocked by challenges in recent years despite their resurgence – the latest being the impasse between Safa and Banyana over remuneration before the team jetted off to Oceania.
Dludlu stressed the importance of education as a solution to such issues.
“The biggest tool that this group of players is carrying without fear is education – the more educated you are, the more liberated you are,” she said.
“The more educated you are, the more you can see things from a different perspective and scope. I am proud of them that they can stand (up) for themselves and for what’s right.
“What’s right is everything in their lives, the teams they play for, opportunities that they put themselves to be part of and take advantage of and being able to push each other to be great,” Dludlu said.
@MihlaliBaleka