After wishing South Africans a prosperous new year during a media briefing on Wednesday, Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis immediately got down to business, outlining her team’s 2023 objectives.
Ellis is fully aware that 2023 is a significant year for Banyana. Her team will compete in the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in July/August, and the former captain of the Banyana is already in full training mode.
After enchanting the African continent by winning the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in 2022, Banyana were dragged back down to earth during a 9-0 thrashing by Brazil in a two-match series at Orlando Stadium and Moses Mabhida.
In London, Australia’s 4-1 victory over South Africa’s women’s soccer team exposed Banyana’s vulnerabilities. The defeats were a free soccer education for South Africa, with the most important lesson being that the World Cup will be like walking into a firestorm.
However, Ellis is proactive and has a strategy to stop the decay.
Ellis, in conjunction with the South African Football Association, is already strengthening the technical staff. In addition, they are planning camps and friendly matches to get the players to a level that will make South Africa and the rest of the continent proud during the World Cup.
“We did not have much time off for the holidays; we just had a small amount of time to spend with family and relax. However, I’d want to wish our supporters and South Africans a happy new year,” Ellis said at Safa House in Nasrec.
“For us, this is a big year with the World Cup in July. Our first obligation is a pre-camp prior to the Cyprus Cup, which we will compete in from February 13-23.
“After that, the next Fifa date is April 3-11, and we hope to play friendly matches against teams that play similarly to our World Cup opponents.” In the interim, we will send our players training programs to keep them at a competitive level.
“In May, we are looking for a brief camp for local-based players, as we anticipate that overseas-based players will be busy with their respective clubs. The final Fifa date before the start of the competition will be in July.
“We will begin full preparations for the World Cup at the beginning of July, first at home and then in New Zealand. We will play another exhibition match in New Zealand. If you include all of these, we have perhaps six difficult matches before our World Cup opener,” she noted.
Group G opponents for South Africa include Sweden, Italy, and Argentina. The South Africans will reside at the Intercontinental Hotel in Wellington, their base of operations. They will conduct practice in Porirua Park.
The technical director of Safa, Walter Steenbok, stated that the organization is in discussions with Ellis to bolster her technical team and background workers.
“The stakes are enormous, so we will employ a technical adviser and second assistant for Banyana as part of our support. This is in conversation with the coach, and an announcement will be made later. This is to strengthen the team’s technical support,” stated Steenbok.
»Banyana coach Desiree Ellis discusses World Cup year preparations«