Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis hoping to unearth more rural talent

Ellis is hoping Sasol will continue with their annual Sasol League roadshows, where she and her assistant coaches can scout talent for Banyana across the country. 

With defender Asande Hadebe of Sasol League side Sunflowers FC having formed part of Banyana’s 2022 WAFCON-winning squad, Ellis told SABC Sport there’s still more such talent across the country waiting to be discovered.

"Asanda is the only player that comes from the Sasol League, but it shoes that there's still quality players because not everybody can play in the Hollywoodbets Super League," said Ellis.

"So hopefully we'll do a lot more roadshows like we did in the past. I think it was stopped due to Covid, but we did a few roadshows before that where we could see players.

"Some of those players came into our youth teams, so there's still very good players out there – not just in the Sasol League, but even in the rural areas, which we haven't even tapped into yet.

"So hopefully we can do all of that in our very busy schedules this year because there's still a lot of players that we haven't seen out there, and hopefully we can see more players and make the national team better."

In an interview with SABC Sport last month, Hadebe highlighted how the support from Ellis has made her a better player. 

The coach, meanwhile, is urging fans to show more support to women’s football. 

"I don't only think [support is needed] for younger players, I think for every player. We're selective in who we support, and we should be supporting women's football," she added.

"If a player plays well, give the player her flowers, because at the end of the day, it's about raising the level and profile of women's football."

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