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Coach Interview Wesley Sergel
A little intro about yourself past, present and future (where you see yourself coaching or where you want to be and how you got there).
I am currently in my second season as the Assistant Coach of Stellenbosch Football Club, a professional football team competing in the South African National First Division (NFD). Currently completing my UEFA B coaching license , my football background was in Performance Analysis and Sport Science. I was part of the South African U20 Men’s Team under Head Coach Thabo Senong as their Performance Analyst, where we competed in the 2017 Africa U20 Cup of Nations in Zambia and the 2017 U20 FIFA World Cup in the Korea Republic, competing against Japan, Italy and Uruguay, a great learning experience. I was given my first professional coaching opportunity at the end of 2014 when I joined AmaZulu FC in the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) under new Head Coach Steve Barker. I had previously worked at the University of Pretoria Football Club in the PSL as their First Team Performance Analyst since 2010, a team that gave me my first break into the professional football at a young age while I was studying a degree in sport science.
Performance Analyst since 2010, a team that gave me my first break into the professional football at a young age while I was studying a degree in sport science.
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What is your coaching philosophy and how did you create it?
Any successful club/organisation has to first be built on solid foundations/core values. These are refined over time, a solid team culture cannot be built over a single season and like anything in life, we learn and grow through success and failure. Some of my key values to implement would be work ethic, accountability and humility, these would be key during any recruitment process.
I like to implement an aggressive pressing style of play, with a big emphasis on the transition moments. A team that in possession, creates and exploits space and by creating isolation situations for attacking players with superior individual qualities.
A high tempo, attacking front foot approach
In your opinion what is the most fundamental skill for a player/ coach to master?
Technique is the foundation of any sport. The ability to
How do you manage the different abilities of players within your squads?
of the strengths of players within the context of what is best for the team.