The Johannesburg primary school football association (JPSFA) coaching course is a pathway for players and coaches to achieve bigger honours, that is according to Discovery senior manager for sponsorship and experiential marketing Deon Curtis.
The JPSFA, in conjunction with Discovery, held a coaching development initiative that was led by Mamelodi Sundowns Head of Academy Shawn Bishop over the weekend.
Launched in 2009, the Discovery school’s soccer programme is a powerful platform that encourages community upliftment and healthier living.
The programme consists of a series of soccer tournaments for primary schools in Johannesburg, including the Discovery festival, Discovery knock-out cup, and the Alexandra Discovery school’s league.
“Through this tournament, we are providing an opportunity for educators who are passionate about football and coaching, to be able to coach teams in a formal environment,” Curtis told Sunday World.
“It’s all about creating those pathways for these young players to succeed, by giving them the chance to achieve higher honors and allowing them to play.
“Through play, we want to encourage fitness, through fitness we want to encourage a healthier lifestyle.”
Meanwhile, Bishop said it was exciting to see female coaches attending the course that had over 50 coaches in attendance.
“Of the 75 coaches that we had attending the course, we had 21 female coaches, which is very important because the women’s game is growing quickly,” he said.
“Coming from Sundowns, we are leading on the women’s front, on the continent and domestically, having won the inaugural CAF Champions League for women [in 2021] and being in the final last year.
“So, I was happy to see female coaches attending the course.”
Over 1000 players participated in the tournament, with preliminary rounds set to be contested in August and the finals expected to be played in September.
