South Africa: Desiree Ellis delighted with 2023 performances
Desiree Ellis enjoyed South Africa's 2023. The Banyana Banyana coach hopes for a similar year in 2024.
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2023 was a vintage year for South African sport, and Desiree Ellis played a big part in it. The women's national team coach guided her players to the last 16 of the World Cup, a year after they won the Africa Women's Cup of Nations title. However, the coach does not want to take all the credit for herself and her team.
"Let me first say that this has been the year of women in sport", she told BBC Sport Africa. "We had the Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup and the Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa, the netball World Cup (in Cape Town) and the football World Cup as well. So it has been a fantastic year for women in sport."
There was also the Rugby World Cup win in France, as well as the two trophies won by Mamelodi Sundowns' women's team (the CAF Women's Champions League and the African Football League). "With Sundowns doing so well, it bodes well for both national teams (men's and women's) in the future."
2024, a year of challenges
Desiree Ellis continued: "It has been a fantastic year for sport in the country. Sport unites everyone and has brought the country closer together. It is fantastic for South Africa that we can compete on all fronts in different sporting codes around the world and do really, really well. It bodes well for the future and gives us a big boost to move forward. There is a foundation there that we simply have to keep strengthening, making sure we capitalise on this momentum and build on it, so that when the next tournament comes around, we don't just take part, we win it. It all culminated in the Springboks' one-point victory, but that is exactly what sport is about. It kept us on the edge of our seats, but it also brought the nation together", said the woman who was named best women's football coach in Africa in 2023.
Also read: Review of 2023: Those who made their mark on the year
However, Desiree Ellis does not want the Rainbow Nation to rest on its laurels. "We have to make sure we jump on the bandwagon and that this carries on for a very long time." To do that, the South African women's national team will face several challenges. The first will be to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games. Then there is the defence of their continental title, as the Women's AFCON will take place in 2024, in Morocco. The Banyana Banyana and their coach will have plenty on their plate.