Jordaan hails ‘continental brand’ Ellis after receiving presidential award

Following her success as Banyana Banyana coach, Desiree Ellis’s contribution was recognized by president Cyril Ramaphosa, who honoured the coach with the Order of Ikhamanga in gold for her contribution to sport.

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Ellis has achieved a lot since taking over the Banyana job. The former player steered the South Africa senior national women’s team to their first ever Caf Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) last year.

The Western Cape born mentor has also qualified the team for their second successive Fifa Women’s World Cup. The team first qualified for the major tournament in 2019, under the guidance of Ellis.

Ellis received the top honour at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Bryntirion, Pretoria last Friday. The Banyana coach is happy with the award and she is grateful.

“I am very overwhelmed. I will be honest with you, this feels like getting a knighthood,” the Banyana coach was quoted as saying by the Safa website.

“I am very grateful, I am very blessed to be able to receive it and I am even more blessed that for the first time at any event my mother has been able to come with me. So this is very special.”

Meanwhile, South Africa Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan congratulated Ellis for the award. Jordaan labeled the Banyana coach as a continental brand and says she has accomplished many good things.

“Through her amazing achievements, coach Desiree Ellis has become a continental brand and this latest honour further cements her status as one of the best football coaches in the country, and on the African continent,” the Safa president said.

“She has achieved some wonderful accomplishments in a sport predominantly dominated by her male counterparts. I hope this Presidential honour will inspire her and the girls at the forthcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.”

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Ellis has been in women’s football for many years as she is one of the founding members of the women’s national team. She played for Banyana since 1993 and ended her career in 2000 before going into being a coach.

She has been coaching the senior women’s team since 2016 following the departure of Vera Pauw.