Meet the Coach
Position at Clarendon: Head of History, Early Learning – Year 12 and Senior Boy’s Soccer Coach
How long have you been coaching for?
I have been coaching for 15 years; however, this is my first year in Australia since my family and I immigrated from South Africa, so it will be my first coaching opportunity in Australia.
What do you enjoy most about coaching and why are you passionate about soccer?
On the whole, I feel that coaching is a huge privilege as sport allows me to impart many life lessons to those that I coach. Teamwork, the ability to overcome adversity, the fact that it is important to win with class and lose with grace are things that are difficult to replicate in the classroom, but sport offers them in abundance.
Aside from learning about team participation and improving fitness, what are the benefits of participating in your co-curricular?
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world.
I feel that it is a sport that unites people across race and class lines. T
his is seen in the global soccer events such at the various professional leagues in Europe and, of course, the World Cup. It is not a sport that is limited to one country or region of the world, and it is not a sport that requires huge resources to play for youngsters. This is evident in many of the poverty-stricken areas of the world, and I think that is what makes soccer such a great leveller and a wonderful sport.
What are some of your favourite sports / hobbies?
I am an avid golfer and a runner.
What else do you like to do in your spare time?
I try to spend as much time as possible with my family. I have one son and another on the way, and I am hoping to pass on my love of soccer to them too.
