'It's about equipping coaches with lifelong tools' - Ratanda Coaches complete Khotso Mokoena-backed training programme

Khotso Mokoena expressed his gratitude to the Khanya Lesedi School of Sport Specialisation coaches who completed the Tday Foundation Train-the-Trainer course, on June 30. The course which was run at the school in the Heidelberg township of Ratanda where Mokoena grew up, started six months ago and was introduced through the Uniting a Community Through Sport programme launched last November to equip and upskill school coaches to produce elite athletes. Reflecting on the programme, the Olympic silver medalist said the coaches received hands-on mentorship from experts and despite the past six months being tough, he was encouraged by their perseverance, hard work and commitment.

Coaches show off their certificates after successfully completing the training programme. Photo Credit: Lebogang Pita.

"Today is a reflection of a powerful growth, perseverance and shared purpose. We are here to honour a journey that began six months ago. It's a vision to uplift the community through the transformative power of sport," he said. "The coaches went through a remarkable transformation. Our Train-the Trainer programme wasn't just about building coaching skills. It was about building and equipping individuals with the tools for lifelong leadership and service to athletes."

While thanking their headline sponsor Vopak We Connect Foundation, the Gauteng Department of Education and the Lesedi Munucipality mayor Mluleki Nkosi, Mokoena shared some of the programme's success stories. The retired long jumper highlighted Khanya Lesedi's long jumper, Owami Maseko, clinching a bronze medal at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) U16, U18, U20 & U23 Track and Field championships in Cape Town in March, as well as the school's girls' and boys' soccer teams winning the John Orr and Lesedi Municipality Mayoral tournaments, respectively.

Mokoena says this is only the beginning. Photo Credit: Lebogang Pita.

"Some of the media present here saw your athletes perform in Cape Town. This tells us that your work has touched the athletes. Your growth has echoed through every whistle, hurdle and training session. The results speak for themselves," said Mokoena.

Khanya Lesedi's Sprints and Jumps coach Sphiwe Mtshali hailed the course as a game changer, saying he gained lots of valuable skills. "It has taught us a lot. We learnt a lot from the experts. Personally, I've gained a lot about managing athletes in terms of being with them throughout rehabilitation when they are injured. I want to thank T.Day and Vopak for their help because we are now able to fully assist our athletes," Mtshali said. 

Veteran coach Loyiso Manthanga explained that when they started with the programme, they realised they had to start from scratch to build a culture of sporting excellence at the school.

Banyana Banyana legend Portia Modise was one of the guest speakers. Photo Credit: Lebogang Pita.

"We found out there was no coaching and sporting culture that was reinforceable. It's the basis of how we train the coaches. The first thing we did was to make the coaches understand that they work together as a unit and then developed a sporting culture between them. Once we got them working together, they were able to pass it onto the athletes," Manthanga explained.

"We also focused on transferring information to them in a way they could understand so that they could convey it back again. Coaching is more than blowing the whistle. It's about how well you convey a message to athletes and being with them throughout that process."