Maqonda Ndlovu
Former Ramblers, Orlando Pirates, and Black Africa coach Nicholas Woody Jacobs is set to become the first Namibian coach to lead a club in Botswana.
Jacobs confirmed to New Era Sport that he will be signing a one-year contract with newly promoted Botswana Premier League outfit Matebele Football Club for the upcoming season.
“It will come with an option to extend for a further year. The immediate plan is to survive the first season. We will aim for a top eight finish. They are an ambitious club,” Jacobs said.
He added that he was impressed with the team’s facilities, despite the fact that they are five years old and are based outside a big town.
Jacobs added that he will sign Namibian players who he feels will add value to the club.
On how the move came about, Jacobs said a local football pundit, Isaack Hamata, sent him a poster indicating their search for a coach in June.
“I forwarded my CV immediately, and the chairman contacted me, and I consulted my family. I then decided to resign my job as a teacher and took up the offer,” he said.
Jacobs says this is a new challenge for him, and he is looking forward to it. “I have done it all, I have coached in the second and first division. I have saved teams from relegation, I have coached mid-table teams, and I have won the Namibian championship and the NFA Cup. This is a new beginning for me. It’s a new dawn,” he said. He added that he is going to add valuable experience to Matebele and learn from them because he loves coaching and would like to make coaching a full-time career.
Jacobs said he is leaving behind young and upcoming coaches like Mervin Mbakera of African Stars, James Britz at Tigers, Richard Gariseb at Okahandja United, Fortune Eichab at Nampol FC, and Paulus Shipanga at Ongos Valley FC, among others.
He, however, refused to reveal the value of his contract, saying he was taking a risk by leaving his stable job for a new club outside the country.
“The money was not an issue. I am going to prove myself and give it my all. I am excited and looking forward to gaining experience. I am also looking forward to coming back to Namibia and ploughing back my experience, especially with my beloved Brave Warriors,” he said.
Jacobs said his contract will be effective 1 September pending his visa approval.
Matebele FC is based 20 kilometres outside the Botswana capital, Gaborone, and was previously known as Master Blackpool.
They played in the Debswana First Division South League for two seasons before winning promotion this year.
Jacobs also coached the senior Namibian Women’s Football team, African Stars, Tigers, Eleven Arrows, Tura Magic, UNAM, Okahandja United, and Orlando Pirates.
He is a holder of a CAF A-Licence and an executive certificate in sports management on top of his teacher’s qualifications. It is further understood that he will do a refresher on his CAF A-licence in Botswana next week. jrnmarko@gmail.com