We have to find new young coaches and stop recycling – De Sa
Having been given an opportunity to coach while he was in his thirties, Roger De Sa believes in doing the same at his GladAfrica Championship club, Cape Umoya United.
Roger De Sa coach (Sydney Mahlangu /BackpagePix)
Since the club’s formation after buying Platinum Stars’ status three years ago, the Spirited Ones have given young coaches their first break.
READ: De Sa non-committal on PSL leadership ambitions
In their first season, Umoya were under former Kaizer Chiefs defender, Dominic Isaacs’ guidance and did fairly well. But he was removed in January this year with Maheer Davids taking over.
“I was given a chance as a coach at a young age with no experience at all,” De Sa told a South African Football Journalists Association (Safja) media conference on Tuesday morning.
“I think it’s important to find talent in coaching just as we do with the players. We can’t be the run of the mill where the coaches just keep rotating. I like giving the locals an opportunity, guys who have come from the City (of Cape Town). I have worked with them as players or as coaches in the past.
“In due time we will find the right one who will step it up and that will be great. We can’t rush them, we have to give them time. I will continue working closely with them and hopefully we will continue getting better and better,” explained the former Orlando Pirates mentor, who guided the Buccaneers to a Caf Champions League final in 2013.
Patience is a virtue with De Sa and he says Cape Umoya are in no rush to win promotion as they want to be stable as a club before going to the top flight.
“We have set ourselves five years. We could have thrown in the millions and easily bought our way to the top. That would have been an easy fix. But we have a five year plan, we want to first be ready and not get here and become a yo-yo team. That is why we now have a clubhouse, the facilities, the youth structure and a ladies team. We want to build a solid foundation so that when we eventually build the house it doesn’t fall off.
“We still have a five-year plan and we are about to complete our second year. We always have it at the back of our minds that it would be nice to get there but we have to be patient. We will stay in our plan and if it happens earlier that would be a bonus,” he said.
He also explained that their decision to go with young local coaches has nothing to do with budgetary constraints but rather to empower them.
“We pay as good as any other team in our division, if not better. They are treated well and paid on time,” he said.
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