Sundowns will still dominate the HWBSL because of the support it enjoys: Mitchell Stevens

Sundowns were crowned the 2024 Hollywoodbets Super League champions, securing their record fifth league title under coach Jerry Tshabalala.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Stevens says that this is going to be the general pattern going forward in the league, because he believes that Sundowns has all the support a football club needs to succeed.

“That will be a general pattern going forward. We all know it is about money, depth of squad, facilities, the support crew and everything that is required to help the team succeed,’’ said Stevens.

Mamelodi Sundowns investment in women’s football spans over a decade.

And coach Stevens believes that it takes years to build a solid team, and praised Sundowns for being intentional about investing in the women’s game.

"Their investment into the club and the ladies team has been great, and it took a long while to build. So, to compete with that will be difficult. There is no team right now that can take the title from Sundowns from one season to another, I think you might have a once-off, but to continuously challenge Sundowns - that is not going to happen anytime soon.

There has to be depth in the club, don’t create teams, create clubs. Have a good development structure and be able to pay the players well,’’ added Stevens.

READ: Maud Khumalo praises her youthful team despite COSAFA final defeat

The 59-year-old mentor unpacks what could be the solution to help teams in the SAFA National League to have the muscle to compete against Sundowns.

"The solution is depth, don’t create teams, don’t create clubs. Teams should not be shy to seek assistance from experienced male coaches to help set the bar high. And there’s a lot of work that needs to be done in the development of coaches as well,’’ he expressed.