Desiree Ellis out to boost Banyana reserve ranks

The Sasol League remains a breeding ground for Banyana Banyana and coach Desiree Ellis welcomes the “nice headache” the National Champs play-offs will bring.

October is set to be a congested month for Ellis. She’ll lead her team, Banyana, in competitive matches for the first time since June.

Banyana will face Denmark and England in two away friendlies as part of their preparations for their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title defence next year.

Ellis has plenty options at her disposal, given the number of overseas-based players and Hollywoodbets Super League players she can select her squad from.

Ellis will also be hard at work from October 14-20 in Knysna in the Western Cape where she’ll be watching the Sasol League National Champs play-offs – something that will widen her selection pool.

Banyana captain Refiloe Jane, who also attended the play-offs draw in Sandton on Thursday, is one of the many players that was selected for Banyana through her stint in the league.

Jane, before moving abroad, played for the Vaal University of Technology (VUT), Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies and Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) respectively.

“The 2019 and 2023 World Cup squads, and the 2016 Olympics squads consisted of players who came from the Sasol League,” Ellis recalled.

“All the best players cannot only come from the Super League. So, there are some good players out there. Asanda Hadebe recently played for Sunflower, and she’s now joined Mamelodi Sundowns.

“It’s up to the players to raise their hands because we are always looking to make the Banyana core group bigger. Last year, in October, we were really stretched.”

Indeed, Ellis was stretched last October when their preparations for the second round of the Olympic qualifiers encountered visa issues, injuries and exam schedules.

As such, Ellis was forced to play makeshift players for the first leg away to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They won 3-1 on aggregate over the two legs.

The 61-year-old coach has since taken lessons from her shortcomings. She has welcomed the added pressure that will come with juggling the play-offs and Banyana.

“It never stops. People think that when there are no matches, we are busy doing nothing,” Ellis explained.

“We are busy doing analysis, putting a squad together. So, we are busy doing that to make sure that we leave nothing to chance.

“The schedule is being done. There is communication with the managers, visas are also being set up. So, straight from the play-offs, I will be going into camp.

“It was like that last year as well. So, it’s nothing new. You get used to it. That’s the nature of being with the national team.”

Banyana’s friendlies next month are set to test their character. The Danish and English national teams played in the 2022 European Championships that the latter won.

Ellis believes that will augur well for her team, especially given the fact that they want to retain their Wafcon crown in the finals in Morocco next year.

“I think the two games coming up are really going to test us. We haven’t been in action for a couple of months now,” Ellis explained.

“So, this will truly test what the players have been doing behind the scenes and how connected we still are. That’s important because that’s part of our preparations.

“We had the Senegal game, where we gave a few opportunities to players who didn’t play regularly. But now, we’ll get some of our internationals back.”

Sasol League National Champs Play-offs Draw

Group A: Ramatlaohle Ladies (Limpopo), Super Strikers (Mpumalanga), FC Raycon Ladies (Gauteng)

Group B: Kovsies (Free State), North West University, Royal Wizards (Northern Cape)

Group C: Sophakama Ladies (Eastern Cape), Ezemvelo Ladies (KZN), University of Cape Town