Coach of the year nod for LIC’s Isaac
Isaac Senetla was recently selected by Cricket South Africa to be part of the coaches that will take part in Cricket South Africa's Talent Acceleration Programme.
POLOKWANE – Limpopo Impala coach Isaac Senetla was bestowed the coach of the year award at the federation’s awards ceremony recently held in Polokwane.
Senetla was recognised for his sterling work with the u/16 girls provincial teams in the 2022/23 season.
He also helped them win crucial matches at the Cricket South Africa’s National Week held in East London and Port Elizabeth last season.
He says the award is one of his biggest achievements since he started playing cricket 27 years ago.
“As a player I have won many awards, but as a coach, this is special. I started coaching in 2019 and I was not expecting to win, but I am happy. My wish is to see more girls from the province taking part in the regional leagues and top cricket franchises in the country and the first division of Cricket South Africa,” said the 34-year-old cricket mentor.
He said he had never seen himself as a coach when he was young.
“I started playing cricket when I was seven years old. I played for Limpopo when I was 11 and then went to the Limpopo Impala senior team. Coaching was not what I wanted, as I wanted to pursue a playing career but when the coaching opportunity came along, I embraced it. I want to thank all the coaches who played a role in my career, they did an amazing job. I want to thank my family for their unwavering support since I started playing cricket. I want to see myself coaching in one of the top franchises in the country and hopefully abroad.”
He describes himself as a modern coach who players can easily relate to.
“As coaches, we need to have soft skills. I coach women and you need to approach them differently. It is important to understand the players, build open relationships and keep it professional at all times. Let them enjoy playing cricket.”
Senetla will travel with the provincial u/16 girls team for the Cricket South Africa National Week set for Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal from December 12 to 16. “The goal is to do well at the event. We have a good team and the girls are eager to do well. We want to win all the games in December so that we get in the first division of Cricket South Africa.”
Some of his achievements include being in the South Africa Cricket Coltz team in 2014 and being part of the Limpopo Impalas senior men provincial team, from 2018 to 2019.
He was recently selected by Cricket South Africa to be part of the coaches that will take part in Cricket South Africa’s Talent Acceleration Programme which will take place on October 6 at the Tuks High Performance Centre in Pretoria.
“I am honoured to have be chosen by Cricket South Africa as I will be with the most experienced cricket coaches in the country. I am willing to learn from them, learning how they run the sessions and how they prepare players before the matches and other dynamics of the games.”
In his spare time, Senetla umpires local cricket and schools matches in the city and he is also the head coach of the Seshego Cricket Club.
