SAFA's Technical Director, Walter Steenbok recently oversaw the CAF A Refresher Course at SAFA House, aiming to update and certify some of South Africa's top coaches.
This initiative, driven by the SAFA Coaching Department, saw several high-profile attendees, including Golden Arrows head coach Manqoba Mngqithi, Mamelodi Sundowns senior coach Steve Komphela, and Orlando Pirates' Mandla Ncikazi.
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The course was designed to ensure that elite-level coaches remain up to date with modern football methodologies and meet the necessary certification requirements.
Many of the attendees had initially completed their CAF A licenses over a decade ago, and with evolving coaching standards, a refresher was deemed necessary.
Despite some concerns that the content closely resembled that of the previous courses already done, Steenbok maintained that the course served its purpose effectively.
A key objective of the program was to prepare these seasoned professionals and all the other attendees for the upcoming CAF Pro License, expected to be introduced in 2026 or 2027.
SAFA has been actively working on developing a strong pool of qualified coaches, extending beyond the top flight league to the Motsepe Foundation Championship and the Hollywoodbets Super League.
By refreshing the knowledge base of these professionals, SAFA aims to strengthen South African football at both club and national team levels.
"Yeah, the objective – as the course name suggests – it was to refresh coaches who are already working in the elite league. They have done the course, their A license, way back in 2011. So, the idea was to refresh them because their certificates actually now needed to be refreshed. So that's why you had Steve Komphela, Manqoba Mngqithi, Mandla Ncikazi, and all of those guys," said Steenbok, speaking exclusively to the Siya crew.
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"The idea was to refresh the guys. And of course, again, the main aim of this was to prepare them again for the Pro License for 2026 or 2027. So, we are busy now preparing the Pro License for them. It was important that we also get them to be refreshed. Because you remember last year, we also had an A License for the likes of Gavin Hunt, Eric Tinkler, all of them. So, we are preparing a big pool of coaches who are already at the Motsepe Foundation Championship, and also national team coaches, and coaches in the Hollywoodbets (Super League) to prepare them to get ready for it," concluded Steenbok.
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By Masebe Qina
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