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Fungai Muderere, [email protected]

The nominees for the Women’s Coach of the Year at the inaugural 2023 Cosafa Awards have been unveiled.

The winner will be announced at a gala awards ceremony in Durban on April 19, with a panel of judges from across the region having assessed their achievements for the period from January 1 to December 31, 2023.

The first nominee is Desiree Ellis of South Africa.

Ellis led South Africa to a historic round of 16th place at the 2023 Women’s World Cup and qualified them for the defence of their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title that they won in 2022.

She also advanced the side to the final round of qualifiers for the Olympic Games, in Paris later this year.

The second nominee is Bruce Mwape of Zambia.

Mwape guided Zambia at their first ever Women’s World Cup and although they lost their first two games 5-0, they bounced back with a historic 3-1 win over Costa Rica, in their final match. He has also led them to qualification for the next Women’s

Africa Cup of Nations and the final round of qualifiers for the Olympic Games.

The third nominee is Jerry Tshabalala, who coaches Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies.

Tshabalala led Mamelodi Sundowns to the finals of the CAF Women’s Champions League and clinched the 2023 title, by winning all their matches in the Ivory Coast without conceding a single goal. Tshabalala led Sundowns to the treble with victory in the Cosafa Women’s Champions League and in their domestic Super League.

The judging panel from the 14-member nations that make up Cosafa, are renowned for their knowledge of Southern African football and are Houssamidine Ben Ahmed (Comoros), Ivan Capuepue (Angola), Rob Delport (South Africa), Gerard Govinden (Seychelles), Peter Kanjere (Malawi), Jesse Kauraisa (Namibia), Kagiso Kgaogano (Botswana), Sibusiso Masilela (Eswatini), Sandra Mwila (Zambia), Boitelo Radebe (Lesotho), Heriniaina Samson (Madagascar), Benoit Thomas (Mauritius), Steve Vickers (Zimbabwe) and Raimundo Zandamela (Mozambique).

“Cosafa has long envisaged having our own awards ceremony to pay tribute to those who continue to shine a positive light on the game in our region,” said Cosafa president Artur de Almeida e Silva.

“Southern Africa has long been a leader on the continent for excellence and this is a way to highlight the achievements of not just players and coaches, but also those who lay the foundations for success with the hard work and dedication they put into the game.

“It is important that we celebrate our achievements and inspire the next generation of players, coaches, referees and administrators, so that we can continue to grow the game in the region,” he added.

It was also revealed that the awards are open to all players and coaches from Cosafa’s 14-member associations, no matter where they ply their trade in the world.

Besides the Cosafa Women’s Coach of the Year category, the other awards categories are Cosafa Men’s Player of the Year, Cosafa Women’s Player of the Year, Cosafa Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year, Cosafa Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year, Cosafa Men’s Most Promising Player of the Year (aged 20 or under), Cosafa Women’s Most Promising Player of the Year (aged 20 or under) and Cosafa Male Coach of the Year.

The Cosafa Male Referee of the Year and Cosafa Female Referee of the Year will also be honoured.

As if that will not be enough, there will also be various Lifetime Achievement awards that will be handed to those who have shaped football in the region over several decades. — @FungaiMuderere.