THE Madibaz Football Club have scored a major coup by signing former Bafana Bafana player, Elrio van Heerden, as their technical specialist coach.
Although the 36-year-old midfielder has been assisting the Nelson Mandela University team in recent years, he now has a specific role in the management team.
Madibaz Sport football manager, Mark Tommy, said that it was a massive breakthrough for the club to have a player of his stature assisting head coach, Wayne Iveson.
“Madibaz Football has a proud history of growing Port Elizabeth talent and investing in the next generation of quality local coaches,” Tommy said.
“Elrio is an international star, having left for Europe as an 18-year-old to play professionally and, since returning to South Africa, has been coaching young players in the city.
“He also assisted Madibaz to gain promotion to the A section at the 2018 University Sport South Africa (USSA) tournament.
“We are really excited to have secured his services and his work with the students has been amazing. The players look up to him as an international quality player and admire his work ethic and tactical astuteness.”
He said the appointment was in line with the university’s ideal of “a case for change” to grow the quality and professional sport experience of their talented footballers.
Van Heerden, who earned 37 caps for Bafana, said “it is amazing” to be back where his soccer journey started over two decades ago.
From 1998 to 2001, he attended the Soccer School of Excellence, which was part of the then University of Port Elizabeth.
“It’s always good to come back to where you started and give something back to the young players of today, trying to help them reach new heights,” Van Heerden said.
“It’s been a wonderful career for me and I have picked up the experience in professional soccer, which I hope to pass on to the Madibaz players to help them achieve on the field.”
One of his immediate aims is to help prepare the squad for the USSA tournament in December, where they will be aiming at securing a spot in next year’s Varsity Football competition.
