Former Kaizer Chiefs and Wits star, Stanton Fredericks, has been named Head of Scouting at Wits.
The 35-year-old had been somewhat in limbo as he waited for the Students to make a decision on whether or not to use his services in the club’s technical team. The 14-cap former Bafana Bafana international retired from playing at the end of the 2012/13 season, after seeing less and less game time for the club.
However, it has since been confirmed that Wits’ management have now assigned Fredericks to an important scouting role within the team’s development structures.
The Johannesburg-born midfielder boasts plenty of valuable experience to share with any talented youngsters he encounters. During his playing days he spent time playing in Europe for Grasshopper Zurich, FC Moscow and Pierikos. He later had short spells back home for Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United, before hanging up his boots with Wits.
Fredericks explained to the Siya crew what his new role would entail as head of scouting at the Jo’burg-based outfit.
“I’ll be working across the country scouting players for the development side of the club," said 'Stigga'.
"I will be working side-by-side with Glen Salmon (Former PSL star and now Head of Development Affairs). We have an academy which runs U19, U17 and U15 teams. We’ve added an U13 side because all big teams worldwide start at this age.
"This helps coaches to get the fundamentals right. This is where we start bringing in the expert coaching, you know. We’re aiming for continuity and uniformity through all the age groups to the first team.
"We want to focus on the basics because these are lacking in South Africa. We can’t cross and our positional play can become better. It’s also about your passing, shooting and how you use the shape of your body.
"These are the fundamentals we want to bring through because we believe this is the way to go.”
