KNOCKING ON THE DOOR

Inspired by male counterparts like Pitso Mosimane, Bradley Carnell, Quinton Fortune and Benni McCarthy, who are all coaching overseas, Simphiwe Dludlu has set her sights on following suit

I would like to coach overseas one day. In the future, I would like to see the headlines saying something like: "Simphiwe Dludlu to coach in Europe!" Whether it's with Chelsea or Arsenal in England or with Ajax in the Netherlands, I have those ambitions. In Europe, the women's game is more advanced; it's somewhere one can make a proper living while working in a professional structure," the national Under-17 coach tells SoccerClub.

The 35-year-old former defender and Banyana Banyana captain had her first taste of coaching at senior international level in September, when she took charge of the women's national team in the Cosafa Cup.

Fielding a second-string side owing to the players who won the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in July being rested, Dludlu's charges did well to reach the final, where they lost 1-0 after extra time to World Cup-bound Zambia The selection of a young team for the Cosafa Cup was part of the plan, devised with senior national coach Desiree Ellis, to broaden the talent pool available to Banyana Banyana.