Championing women’s football in Africa- Dr. Desiree Ellis
Carob magazine sits down with football coach of the year, WAFCON defending champion, a trailblazer, a certified soccer legend. we talk to Dr. Desiree Ellis about her life, achievements as well as plans for the future.
CAROB MAGAZINE AFRICA: Growing up in Salt River Cape Town as a young woman what inspired the love for soccer in you?
DR. DESIREE ELLIS: We actually lived in Heideveld and went to school in Salt River, Dryden street Primary and Salt River High. My parents used to drop us off at school in the morning and pick us up in the evening. I had cousins who were older than me that we played soccer with after school and that is where my love for soccer started. I also played netball but I always leaned more towards football. In primary school I used to jump over the fence to play soccer with the boys and that got me in trouble quite a lot. My love for soccer was a big issue because back in the day it was not a popular sport for women. My father played a very important role in shaping my career in football. From an early age, he was my biggest critique and my biggest supporter, driving me around to each and every game, cheering me on and supporting me. At the age of 15 I eventually joined a girls soccer team. The first time I played professionally they couldn’t believe that a girl could play such good football. Soon there was a story going round in the soccer circles that there’s this girl that looks like a boy and plays soccer really well.
CAROB MAGAZINE AFRICA: You were one of the founding members of the South African national women’s team in 1993. What was the dream/goal for women’s soccer in SA?
DR. DESIREE ELLIS: When we first got the call for the national team I was working at a meat market making spices and polonies and biltong… I went to my boss and told him I got an opportunity and needed a few days off. We played against Swaziland and beat them 14 nil! I made the national team as a vice captain. I got fired when I went back to work because I was a day late after we got puncture on our way back. That’s where my career in professional football started. Playing for the national team has always been the dream…We didn’t play as often as we should have but when we got together we always made sure. Our dream was to qualify in the world cup but it never happened in our time because we always got beat by Nigeria, I remember in 1995 when we played against Nigeria, they beat us 4-1 and 7-1 and knocked us out of the World cup and again in 1998 we didn’t get beyond. The dream was to always qualify for one of those tournaments.
CAROB MAGAZINE AFRICA: You have had the most successful career in Football nationally and internationally, with CAF naming you coach of the year 4 times in a row from 2018-2023! What keeps you motivated to take Banyana Banyana / women’s soccer to new heights?
DR. DESIREE ELLIS: I work with a fantastic group of players and an amazing staff in the background. We all have this shared vision to raise the profile of women’s football and also to do well and to create opportunities for women in sport. When we get together as a group we always decide what is the ambition and it always has to be one shared ambition. I think that is why we did so well in the WAFCON in 2022, we were really truly connected…We had every intention to do well. Coaching the national women’s team is not just a job for me, I love the people, I love the players. It’s a tough job because through that love you got to show that it’s not all about fun but also hard work and getting results! I am soft natured at heart but if the situation requires me to be tough, I have to be. As the Banyana Banyana team we share a common goal and a common vision. Yes a few of us will be awarded and rewarded but it is never about one individual but it is always about the team, without the team we are not awarded and rewarded so I think those are just bonuses. Everything we do, we do it for everybody involved in women’s football, those that have come before us, for those that have laid a foundation but didn’t get the opportunities. We push ourselves to do well so that we can raise the profile of women in Football, attract sponsorship and grow women’s Football.
CAROB MAGAZINE AFRICA: Your contribution to soccer is immeasurable, you have recently been honored with a doctorate for your contribution to women’s soccer by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. What does that mean to you ?
DR DESIREE ELLIS: I got a call about a year ago, somebody was going to nominate me for the doctorate and I got really excited but then I never heard anything about it up until recently, I got contacted by CPUT and I was just blown away. My whole family was there (In Cape Town). To me this doctorate really says as Banyana Banyana we’re on the right track. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity given to me by the South African Football Association to lead this amazing team… The doctorate is not just mine but it belongs to the team for all the efforts they’ve put in. It’s quite strange being called Dr. I’m still getting used to it, thank you to CPUT for honoring me.
CAROB MAGAZINE AFRICA: In April 2023 you were bestowed the National order of Ikhamanga by the South African government for your contribution to soccer, do you think women’s football in South Africa is finally getting the recognition in deserves?
DR. DESIREE: That was an amazing moment, like I said we don’t do things for awards and rewards but to get the Ikamanga from the president was mind blowing and what made it special is that for the first time my mother was at an event where I received an award. Winning the WAFCON has really opened many doors and brought about many opportunities. We are no longer in the corners of newspapers but on the front and back pages of Newspapers, players are signing big contracts, that shows that the game has changed, more recognition is always welcome. I think there’s many platforms for raising the profile of women’s football. More recognition can still be shown in terms of sponsorship, I think there is still a lack there but not just for women in Football but for women in sport, that surely needs to change because we see all the women athletes are raising the profile. Castor Semenya was our beacon of hope, Tatiana Smith just won a gold and a silver medal at the Olympics and this just shows that women are winning.
2023 was a big year in sport where the Protea women got to the finals. We had the netball under 19 women’s world cup. We had a FIFA world cup, so yeah it was a big year for women in sport but there’s still a huge lack of sponsorship.
CAROB MAGAZINE AFRICA: What is your dream for the African continent? Also what kind of changes/ improvement would you like to see happening in women’s soccer?
DR DESIREE ELLIS : My dream for the African continent is for one of the countries to win the women’s world cup, I think it is a possibility and last year showed that we couldn’t predict the results of the world cup with 3 countries from the African continent going beyond the group stages, South Africa, Morocco and Nigeria. It was the first time a senior national team getting beyond the group stages. We wanted to go as far as we could but unfortunately we were knocked out by Netherlands. Their goal keeper won player of the match, this tells you how competitively we played. You know we have always said that if there is an African team that is going to win the world cup it is going to come from the women’s team in the African continent. The game is really improving but we have to make sure that there are fully fledged leagues in all of the countries and that when we have these International tournaments be it the WAFCON or Olympics that we have all teams from the African continent participate and that we do not have withdrawals.
CAROB MAGAZINE AFRICA: You have achieved so much in your career as a player and as a coach, winning WAFCON in 2022 for Banyana Banyana, what are the plans for the future internationally?
DR. DESIREE ELLIS: Winning the WAFCON was the biggest most amazing thing that has happened to us as a group. We have tried 5 times before finally winning it in 2022! That was just so incredible, seeing just how South Africa was behind us… I think that defending the WAFCON tittle in 2025 will be an exciting and challenging experience.
WAFCON 2025 is the closest /nearest thing that we are planning for, we are about a year away, it gives us time to prepare because as you will see on the African continent everyone’s raising their performance, you look at Nigeria, Zambia, Morocco and Ghana, all these countries are going all out when playing international friendlies.
CAROB MAGAZINE AFRICA: What kind of challenges do you come across as a coach and what kind of support would improve the standard of women’s football in SA and in Africa?
DR. DESIREE ELLIS : There is always many challenges in every sphere of life, we have got to find solutions to those challenges. I work with a fantastic group of people, I think that really helps. We have a national league up and running for a few years now, it’s not where we want to be but it is a step in the right direction. The world cup has shown that we can compete internationally, but to take one step further we need to professionalize the game, because we still have players working 9- 5 jobs, clubs training late in the evening because the players are working during the day and sometimes there is a weekend game and some players are not able to get off from work, clubs go with reduced squads sometimes if there is a midweek game the same thing happens, clubs go with reduced squad, also I think more sponsorship needs to come into the game because traveling takes a toll on everyone, it takes a huge toll on the clubs.
CAROBMAGAZINEAFRICA: Would you ever in your career ever consider coaching a male professional soccer team?
DR. DESIREE ELLIS: (chuckles) I’ve been asked that question many times about coaching a male team, I just say I don’t know where God is going to take me next but I am really excited and happy with what I’m doing at the moment with the national women’s team, we never know where the next opportunity or when the next opportunity will be but I’m sure that when God opens that door no one is going to close it, we’ll see what God is going to do but I can’t say no . It’s about being given an opportunity, our president of the federation Dr. Jordan decided to have female coaches for the female teams, it’s about being given that opportunity then supporting that individual to succeed.
CAROB MAGAZINEAFRICA: How are the preparations for the upcoming WAFCON 2025 coming? I’m sure you already have a plan in motion for defending the tittle. We cannot wait!
DR. DESIREEELLIS: Playing Senegal was part of the preparation. Our next FIFA date is in October, we’re playing against England. I think that is going to be a really exciting game and it is going to test us from a different level. We are going to utilize every FIFA date strategically. A big thank you to SAFA and sasol for being amazing and giving us this support because they have been getting us really good fixtures. It’s all about preparing now, selecting the final squad when the WAFCON takes place because we have already qualified. It’s about making sure that everybody is on the same page, we just look forward to the draw, the draw will let us know who to prepare for and how to prepare for them. I think the World cup helped us in that way because you know quite early who your opponent is. The first game of any tournament is the biggest and when you win that game, you can plan and prepare for every other game ahead. The strategy for this one is going to be slightly different. We know that each and every game is preparing us in that aspect, we are also looking at players because we also want to make sure that we get the mix right with youth and experience.