Shilene Booysen unpacks her Banyana Banyana role

One of them is Shilene Booysen, a former South Sudan coach who has returned to South Africa to take up the role of technical advisor to Ellis.

In a conversation with SABC Sport, she unpacked how her experience will boost Banyana ahead of the global showpiece next month.

"This has been in the talks for a while now, we started talking in 2022 after the AFCON [Women's Africa Cup of Nations] win and knowing that my contract at South Sudan would come to an end. I had to make a decision either I renew with South Sudan or I come back here and help coach Des and the technical team," she said.

Booysen spent the last two years getting South Sudan women’s football off the ground as the head coach, but when her native country came calling she could not resist the opportunity.

"It was about who needs me the most now and I think with the expertise that I have with the kind of experience that I can bring to the team, I think that and the friendship that I have with coach Desiree, the understanding that I have with SAFA, I think that really shifted my mind and made me aware that this could be an opportunity to help a team that has huge expectations go to the next level," Booysen explained.

Ellis finally announced her 23-member squad for the World Cup last Friday with three more players on standby.

Booysen would have no doubt been part of the brains trust in making the call on which group would tackle Sweden, Argentina and Italy. 

"Currently, I'm working as a technical advisor which means that I advise on all technical matters. I think it's really interesting to see the different sides of it because on one end I've been an analyst for a long time, I've been an assistant coach, I've been a head coach and now to come back and be a technical advisor," she added.

"You gotta change your minds [mindset] and shift your minds [mindset] because sometimes I still feel the need to go on to the field and express myself and wanna get involved in the coaching and then I have to stand back and say, listen, this is not your job, you need to stick to what you are good at."