8 August 2018– Head coach of the Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana, Desiree Ellis, is happy with the way things are going in the training camp currently underway in Johannesburg.

The aim of the camp is to prepare for the upcoming 2018 COSAFA Women’s Championship, which will be hosted by South Africa starting at the end of August.

“Happy with the training so far, we working in stages but I am confident we will be ready come the AFCON later this year. We had a fitness test because we have to check the level of where our players are seeing that the COSAFA Cup is not too far away,” said Ellis.

“We would definitely like to win the COSAFA Cup again, in fact, we would be naïve not to want to do it again. Winning begets winning, and that is the way we want to move forward.”Ellis has brought in a couple of new players, and has been keeping an eye on them since the start of camp

“The good thing about this training camp is that it gives us a chance to work with other players – with the knowledge that we can’t have overseas-based players. From the new players, we want to see if they can add value at a higher level, because they have done so at their clubs and that is why they have been brought in here,” added Ellis.

“We use them in their positions and also try them in different positions so as to see how well they adapt when taken out of their comfort zone – which is the hallmark of a complete player, and for a tournament you need such players.”

In terms of injuries, the camp also helps with the recuperation of players like Mamello Makhabane, who was out for two years, but managed to play against Lesotho. Rachel Sebati is also nursing some niggling injuries but she should be back to full fitness in no time.

Both players have been training on the sidelines.

The camp started on Sunday, 5 August and will come to an end on Friday, 10 August.

SOURCED FROM THE SAFA WEBSITE.