Ellis attends inaugural COSAFA Technical Study Group Symposium

Reigning CAF Women’s Football Coach of the Year, Desiree Ellis headlined a panel of seasoned coaches and football experts from the COSAFA region at the recently held COSAFA Technical Study Group (TSG) Symposium in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The first-ever Technical Study Group held by the CAF Zonal Union saw COSAFA gathering a brain’s trust of established football coaches and experts in the form of coaches, analysts, technical directors and former players from different parts of the region for a two-day workshop held between 23 – 24 May.

The purpose of the workshop was for COSAFA to further develop the standard of football in the region through the analyses and assessing of global football trends in order for Member Associations to be kept abreast with the ever-evolving nature of the game and for teams from the region to be more competitive at CAF continental competitions.

In addition to Ellis, Namibian head coach, Collin Benjamin, former Egypt national team assistant coach, Roger de Sa as well as current head coach of Egyptian women’s Premier League club, Wadi Degla, Shilene Booysen were some of the invited guests.

Bafana Bafana players, Shaun Bartlett, Mark Fish and Reneilwe Letsholonyane were also some of the legends in attendance along with Mauritius Football Association Technical Director, Zunaid Mall.

Banyana Banyana’s number one goalkeeper, Kaylin Swart was also present to offer some insights on the current state of the women’s game as a currently active player.

“We continue to strive to further on our mandate to provide world class development initiatives in the Southern African region and this TSG symposium is another huge step forward for COSAFA”, said Mr. Walter Manda, Chairman of Technical and Development Committee.

“The TSGs at our tournaments are vital for our region to keep up with the latest football trends and help our teams be more competitive on a continental and global level. We are delighted to have had such a distinguished group of speakers and panellists that provided expert knowledge and their vast experience of many decades in the game”, concluded Manda.

The hosting of such events forms the crucial building blocks for the growth of the game across Africa, as CAF continues working together with all its Zones, Member Associations and African governments in further growing and developing African football.