Walter Steenbok explains push for coaching education in SA

Steenbok said the goal was to ensure local tacticians obtained the necessary qualifications aligned with CAF standards.

Although the initiative initially faced resistance, Steenbok said building a formal pathway for coaches was not optional but essential for the long-term growth of the game.

"When we put up the coaching framework to address the challenges, we did not only look at the PSL, but we looked across the whole landscape. This was something personal for me."

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Steenbok insisted that there was a desperate need for coaches in the domestic league to catch up with the rest of the world. 

For inter-club CAF Competitions, you need a CAF A or B license."

As it turns out, SAFA were among the leading pioneers in equipping coaches but somehow dropped the ball. Steenbok’s job was to restore this.

"The biggest thing was to fix inside first. South Africa is in pole position in terms of coaching education in Africa. We started way back and did a pro-license in 2004, and South Africa trained almost 72 coaches at Pro-license, you know your Rulani Mokwena, Pitso, Kwanele Kopo, myself, Mandla Ncikazi and others. So we were at the forefront of this even when CAF at that time didn't have a pro-license.

"When I looked at the PSL, I realised that we have not really stopped coaching education except that from 2015 to 2024, South Africa was out of the convention and coaches could not hold CAF A or B licenses - so I had to bring us back."

Steenbok is still hopeful that coaches in the National First Division, otherwise known as the Motsepe Foundation Championship, will follow suit.