Coaching department vital for national teams’ success – Bruwer

Former Brave Warriors goalkeeper Danzyl Bruwer says the goalkeeping position is fundamentally important for the success of any national team.

Talking to Desert Radio recently, Bruwer, who owns a goalkeeping academy at Swakopmund, said such academies are vital and extremely important.

“It is important for Namibia, through the National Football Association (NFA), to establish proper structures and foundations at grassroots level, focusing on structured youth development programmes.”

He said by doing so, Namibia would do away with the shortage of proper goalkeepers, starting at youth level progressing to the first and second divisions, and eventually to the country’s elite league.

“If you do not have the necessary qualified coaches at youth level it becomes a problem for the national team coaches.”

Bruwer said: “If we have the proper structure in place, and proper youth structures in place at youth level across the country, and football teams with proper youth structures at their disposal, that would ultimately do away with the problem of goalkeepers.”

He said football clubs at elite level should not just produce season-based goalkeepers, but ultimately for a lengthy period so that they could compete for national team call-ups on an equal basis.

The former acrobatic goalkeeper is adamant that Namibia would prosper in the goalkeeping department at national level if the NFA fully prioritises goalkeeping courses.

“I am not saying the NFA has not started, but through the former acting technical director, Jaqui Shipanga, we have seen goalkeeping courses being conducted,” Bruwer said.

He said Namibia, despite the lack of a proper structure in place, has produced competent goalkeepers in the past, such as himself, Ronnie Kanalelo, Virgil Vries, Athiel Mbaha, Efraim Tjihonge and Loydt Kazapua.

Despite the country having qualified coaches with accredited Confederation of African Football (CAF) credentials, more is needed to upgrade and introduce goalkeeping coaching courses throughout the country, he said.

“Goalkeeping is a very specialised position that we came to neglect, but it is such an important department at league levels and at the different national teams standard.”

Bruwer said although the country is producing young goalkeepers who are coming through the ranks, it should produce quality top goalkeepers, starting with the basics at youth structures.

“I have attended the Debmarine under-15 tournament, including the The Namibian Newspaper Cup, and in these tournaments you can see that goalkeepers are not properly trained. That is why NFA courses are important.

“You can never have a player or goalkeepers who have not trained properly competing against opponents who have gone through the needed structures for Namibia to do very well at regional and continental level.”

Bruwer is confident that by putting in place the needed structures at grassroots level, the quality of goalkeeping would eventually improve and could be manifested in the senior national team

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