Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies junior team demonstrated their dominance at the Engen Tournament - Champs of Champs winning the decorated title in spectacular fashion. In a fixture against five provincial teams across the country, the young Banyana Ba Style squad not only emerged unbeaten but also scored an impressive 11 goals without conceding a single one.
The team’s organised defence and clinical attack were a reflection of the club's depth, and among the guiding forces on the side line was Zanele Madonsela, the senior team captain, who made her mark as an assistant coach for the young team.
Madonsela, a seasoned leader and defensive stalwart for the first team, took on a new challenge at the tournament, transitioning from player to coach. After the tournament, I had the chance to sit down with her to discuss her experience in guiding the next generation of Sundowns talent and her thoughts on balancing playing and coaching.
Seeing how impressive the girls were throughout the tournament, I was eager to find out the some key moments from the tournament that stood out from the coaches perspective, "Some key moments that stood out for me [at the Engen tournament was] seeing the players applying themselves according to the game plan and winning the first game of the tournament,” said Mdonsela.
She went ahead and added, “For me I believe that the first game of the tournament is the one that is very important, because it shows you as a team how far you can go in the tournament. I think for me that was the key one and also building a very strong and trusting relationship with the players [because] that also helps with their mental health. I was at the tournament as an assistant coach [and] I'm grateful for that opportunity to step up and help the head coach.”
Reflecting on her experience, Madonsela shared that the tournament offered key learning moments for her as a player, despite being in a coaching role: “As a player it helped me to value my teammates more, both on and off the field no matter how hard it is. You need to stay together and you need to stay grounded and also work very hard just to achieve whatever that you want to achieve as a team.”
“Without hard work and without being humble enough you won’t achieve anything that you want to achieve, but if you stay grounded all the time and also believe in your abilities [you will achieve]. You've got abilities as a person, remember that this is a God given talent, He gave you these talents for a purpose and for a reason, I believe that you can conquer anytime. Those players, the young ones, showed me that if you believe enough in your abilities and also work very hard as a team on and off the pitch then it's possible to win anything and to achieve anything.”
While she is well-known for leading the senior team to glory on the field, this time, she stepped into a coaching role and openly shared how she captured the player’s love and tackled some of the challenges her team faced during the tournament, ”Remember [that] as a coach you need to build a strong relationship with your players so that it becomes easier for you to engage with everyone. It's also very important for their mental strength, because as a coach I believe that you also need to win your players' hearts and when you win their hearts then it becomes easier for them to play for you and for the club. I believe that that's what we did as coaches, winning the players' hearts and also building very strong relationships with them.” The skipper expressed.
Madonsela has spent her playing career under some of South Africa’s best coaches, and when asked about who had the biggest influence on her coaching style, she didn’t hesitate to express love to her role models, “The style of coaching for me was influenced by Coach Marcus Mashilo, the reason why I am saying that it’s because he has groomed me in a very positive way, not only in football but also life wise.” She said.
She also credited her coaching inspiration to English football Coach, Pep Guardiola, “Also [Manchester City’s Head Coach] Pep Guardiola because of the football tactics that he uses, the style of play that his team applies. I like it so much and not forgetting the philosophy that he's using as a coach. I love his attitude, I love the philosophy [and] everything that he applies. I actually love to see those things because I get to learn as a person and as a coach as well.”
“He's coaching at a top level, which one day I would also want to coach at a top level but for now because I am still in a development phase I feel like I am not ready enough to coach at that level. I am still in a learning phase [and] I feel good to be in this learning phase. I enjoy watching every single thing that he [Pep] does as a coach, especially football wise. The tactics that he applies are out of this world, I have never seen such. Each and every philosophy that he comes with and every formation that he brings to his players they always respond in a positive manner so as a coach I would also love to see those kinds of things going forward. I make sure that I watch each and every single game of Man City because I believe that they play a similar football style with Mamelodi Sundowns, which is Shoe, Shine and Piano. Sundowns is a very stylish football club, it’s more like they are the Man City of South Africa.”
Madonsela’s journey from being the captain of Mamelodi Sundowns’ first team to stepping into a coaching role highlights not only her passion for the game but also her commitment to nurturing the next generation of footballers, she noted how important it is to take one step at a time towards achieving her goal: “Honesty with coaching I'm still new and willing to learn more, I've got to stay grounded all the time because coaching is not easy and I feel good coaching [at] development than any other team.”
“It’s good to not jump the stages for me as a coach. You need to learn, you need to start at the ground level and take baby steps for you to grow and for you to get somewhere. I know that this coaching thing for me [in some way] is a calling so I need to do it step by step and learn from other people because I'm someone who's always willing to learn. I also want to learn from the best coaches and I know that in our club we have uh the best coaches ever so I know that by the time I get to coach full time I will have a lot and a lot of information.”
Mamelodi sundowns' have a clear succession plan. Everyone is involved, progressing into their new roles, while preparing their under-studies to step in their shoes when they hang their boots up. This is Success
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