Banyana Banyana were the 2022 WAFCON champions and reached the round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA World Cup. Meanwhile, many coaches developing senior women’s national football players for future tournaments work under extremely challenging conditions, research from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) shows.

WAFCON is the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, the continental championship for African women’s national teams, run by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). WAFCON is also Africa’s qualifying route to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“Banyana Banyana has seen a tremendous success trajectory over the past 5 years,” says Professor Heather Morris-Eyton, a researcher at Department of Sport and Movement Studies within the UJ Faculty of Health Sciences.

“Coach Desiree Ellis has been instrumental in the success of the women’s national team. Her recognition as a coach is evident in her numerous accolades, establishing her as one of Africa’s most successful female coaches,” she adds.

“We believe coach Desiree and her technical staff recruit their players from clubs competing in the Hollywoodbets Super League and the USSA tournament,” adds Thembisile Mbatha.

University Sport South Africa (USSA) is the official national governing body that organises sports programs, leagues, and tournaments for student-athletes at higher education institutions across the country.

Grassroots reality

Mbatha describes what many women coaching football are facing – and somehow still navigating.

“We see women’s football in South Africa as a plant growing through concrete,” she says. “Although female football coaches are forced to ‘coach against the odds’, they are creating opportunities for future players.”

Mbatha is a PhD candidate and lecturer at UJ. She was a football team manager from 2015 to 2019, winning the USSA team manager of the tournament during that time. For two years, she was the only female in the technical team.

A typical day for many female football coaches in South Africa is a series of barriers, says Mbatha.

“Imagine a female coach coaching a community team, arriving at a training session before everyone. She is carrying a bag full of equipment. Some of that gear she bought with her own money because the team has limited resources, she adds.

“A day before a match begins, she must organise transport for players who cannot afford to get to the game. She checks whether the field is available, only to find it allocated to a men’s team. She adapts, uses an underdeveloped field – and carries on. During water breaks, she encourages the girls who dream of playing for Bantwana or Banyana. All while wondering whether she can afford her next coaching course,” she continues.

“The female coach wants to learn more, but the CAF license course fees are expensive.  At the end of every session or match, she ensures that all players get home safely and packs away the equipment herself. She does not do it for recognition. She believes that she is paving the way for future female players and coaches,” says Mbatha.

No pay, no ladder

After all this, many female coaches go home with no compensation for the years and personal resources they have invested in developing future players, the research shows. Cultural stereotypes are not helping either.

“Women are stereotypically seen as caregivers rather than having the ability to lead, coach or play football,” says Prof Morris-Eyton.

“Gendered barriers and lack of institutional sport remain a consistent factor in deterring women from entering coaching as a profession. That applies to SAFA, provincial, district and club structures.”

Prof Morris-Eyton represented South Africa as a Lifesaving athlete in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She has coached lifesaving teams at World and Commonwealth Championships. Now she oversees the high-performance programme of Lifesaving South Africa.

The research also shows that female coaches have limited support from clubs and lack clear career pathways. They were underrepresented in leadership and decision-making structures and had limited access to mentorship and networking opportunities.

However, female coaches are under pressure to deliver results despite their limited resources, says Mbatha.

“This does not bode well for the sustainable success of the athlete development pathway. Athletes require coaching excellence and coaches need opportunities to provide that excellence,” Prof Heather Morris-Eyton adds.

New mentorship for female coaches

Grassroots coaching in women’s football needs a new approach, says Mbatha. In a second research study, she developed a new mentorship programme for female coaches.

“Rather than adopting an international model, the programme was developed with SA football experts who understand the challenges in our local coaching environment, she adds.

Five out of the seven experts in the study were female football coaches residing in South Africa. All coaches held CAF B or CAF A coaching licenses. Some held UEFA licenses, some had completed FIFA courses, says Mbatha.

“The experts strongly agreed that mentorship of female coaches should be a structured, formal, and ongoing process. It should be incorporated into the football system or structure, rather than an ad hoc arrangement between two individuals.

“Mentorship requires clear mentor and mentee roles to be stipulated, setting of achievable goals, regular monitoring and organisational support. The expert coaches also recommended that the program should be flexible rather than prescribing a fixed time frame,” concludes Mbatha.

For the girls dreaming of playing for Bantwana and Banyana, a grassroots pipeline of well-supported female coaches can only be a good thing.

Research articles

Coaching against the odds: Challenges impacting the progress of female football coaches in South Africa

Designing a mentorship programme for women football coaches in South Africa: an expert e-Delphi study