JOHANNESBURG – South Africa Under-20 coach Thabo Senong has confirmed that he’s been invited to take part in this year’s Master’s Coaching Course at the Johan Cruyff Institute in Netherlands.
Senong tenure in the Dutch home soil will divided into three blocks; his first trip scheduled to take place this month, while the second and last visit will be in June and September respectively.
The Soweto-born coach, who is one of 14 coaches selected across the world, believes that this course will enrich African football.
“This initiative is not about me, it’s about representing South African and African coaches at large,” Senong explained.
“My main focus is getting the knowledge and coming back here to share with my colleagues. We all know that there’s a bit of a gap between Europe and Africa, so obviously the idea is to close the gap.”
Senong continued: “We can only close the gap if we network, learn and engage with them.
“We look at what they are doing there and bring it back to the country; try to combine with our own characteristics and natural talent, and maybe we can produce something better.”
The 36 year-old has already been hard at work this year – he was a mentor in the SAB League Skills Coaching Course (Safa D Licence) that was held at the High Performance Centre (HPC) in Pretoria last week.
The Amajita coach who completed his D licence in 2002 (16 years ago) congratulated this year’s graduates and also touched on the importance of learning on a regular basis.
“They (SAFA D Licence graduates) came here with their raw talents and passion but they went through a five day intensive training, so well done to them. I congratulate and wish them the best of luck in their journey as coaches,” Senong said.
“However, this is not the end; this is actually when they need to open their books every day.
“They need to have mentors, so that they can continue learning. To be honest, coaching in the development structures is about everyday learning.”
@Mihlalibaleka