NWU Vaal Football Academy coaches' jobs on the line?

The Citizen

9 hours ago

VANDERBIJLPARK.- There is an old idiom that says 'a new broom sweeps clean.'
The same can be said about NWU Football Academy with the new management set to restructure the academy's coaching department.
This has since caused panic among the coaches who have been with the academy since it started.
Sedibeng Ster Sport has posters advertising the coaching vacancy, which outline the following minimum requirements: SAFA Level 1 D-License, CAF C License, CAF B-License, and a minimum of two years of coaching youth development experience, among other requirements.
Sedibeng Ster Sport has learned that NWU Vaal is taking this academy to the next level, with Mafikeng Campus said to be the main sponsor of this development structure.
Much has changed since the departure of NWU Football Manager Thomas Tema.
NWU Vaal Football Academy campaign in the Gauteng Development League Stream B. They were relegated to this lower division last season after finishing at the bottom of the Stream A log standing. This project was initiated by the community development coaches when they established the NWU Vaal Development League. Speaking to Sedibeng Ster Sport, the current development coaches said their jobs are on the line.
They told Sedibeng Ster Sport that their jobs were advertised without being consulted. Tebello Kheswa, who was the NWU Vaal Head of Development, has since been demoted as a coach. The coaches who didn't want their names to be mentioned for fear of being victimised told Sedibeng Ster Sport that they are worried that they might be out of jobs.
'Look, we don't have a problem with the NWU Vaal hiring new people to take this academy to another level, but from where we stand, it looks like our services are no longer needed here. We are aware that the new management has since approached certain individuals to take over our jobs. It is said because some of the coaches here started this project with some members of the community. They were just volunteering, but now there is money involved, and they are no longer needed. This is unfair for them because we all know development coaches in this country don't get paid; they are volunteering. Why do they hire other people from outside? I feel sorry for them because some of them committed their lives here at NWU Vaal Football Academy,' said one of the coaches.
When approached for comment, NWU Vaal Football manager Joseph Matlhong confirmed the advertising of the coaching job(s). However, he told Sedibeng Ster Sport that every coach, including the current coaches, had to apply for this position. Matlhong said the institution embarks on a new direction of restructuring all its teams, including the academy.
'All these changes aim to take our teams in a new direction. This is part of the refinement of our new vision of where we want to take this academy,' he told Sedibeng Ster Sport.
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