Head coach of the Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana, Desiree Ellis, has launched a book that she says depicts her journey from Salt River in the Western Cape to the top of the world.
The book, named Magic: DESIREE ELLIS – From Salt River to the 2023 World Cup was authored by Luke Alfred.
She explains the title of the book.
“Magic is qualifying for the World Cup for the first time ever. Magic is all of those things – being given that opportunity, taking that opportunity, and, in a football sense, it’s about never giving up. It’s about creating your own luck, it’s about using your God-given talent to go out there and to be able to do something that you love,” said a beaming Ellis.
“I dreamed of playing for the national team at the age of 30 and most people are thinking that it’s time to pack it in – I got the opportunity. It’s about that dream that you have is inside of you, and make sure that someone else doesn’t live your dream, but that you live it!”
Held at the Exclusive bookstore in Sandton, the event was attended by, among others, former Bafana Bafana captain Lucas Radebe, former national team goalkeeper Andre Arendse, former Banyana Banyana coach and team manager Fran Hilton-Smith (she has also released a book called: Fran: A song for Banyana), former Banyana Banyana player Khabo Zitha, newly appointed SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao (herself a former Banyana Banyana player), as well as Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, with Supersport’s Carol Tshabalala running the proceedings.
The three-time CAF Woman Coach of the Year (also had a word of advice for the stars.
“It’s been important that we document our life stories, not for us but for the next generation. It is with these works that we will get to inspire them to reach greater heights – tomorrow when we are no longer here, they will have something to refer to,” added Ellis.
The launch off the book is to coincide with the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, running from 20 July to 20 August.
“There are a lot of woman’s sporting events in South Africa this year, and in a way, you can see the society in the way that maybe 15 years ago disabled sport became an issue in South Africa with responsive sponsorship from woman’s sport is becoming talked about, there is money in woman’s sports, we’re actually seeing woman’s football on television. There’s interest, there’s energy, there’s debate and so that’s the macro content and then more specifically obviously Banyana Banyana are going to the World Cup in July, and we didn’t want to produce and get the book out post World Cup. So, we actually worked hard to get it out now which gives us about a month or six weeks before the World Cup. Based on all of that, we felt the time was now,” said Alfred.
The book details where Ellis started as a young girl trying to find out what she really wanted to do with her life.
She tried her hand in ballet, netball, cricket and even rugby but her love for football triumphed over all.
The only challenge was that during those years, girls playing football was not a popular sight, so she ended up joining boys’ teams to live her dream.
It is that resilience that would see her climb up the ladder of life – again not without hassles.
But she knew back then that overcoming those hiccups was the only way she could look forward to a future that she wanted, not what she was living.
Ellis also talks about the support she got from her parents when she went for her sport of her choice – football.
The Capetonian does not forget to mention humility, generosity and being kind to the next person as everyone has their own struggles.
“With this book, all I want is to give hope to people to say that it doesn’t matter where you come from, if you have this dream pursue it with everything you have. There’s an always an opportunity, do not be afraid to step in that opportunity because if we are afraid, we’re going to fail – and what’s the worst that can happen if you fail? That failure can teach or help you to get better and that gives you a little bit more character,” said Ellis at the launch.
Ellis went for trials for the national team and passed and would feature in the team’s first international match. She debuted against Swaziland at the age of 30 on 30 May 1993 in a 14–0 win. Ellis scored a hat-trick.
Ellis made her Banyana Banyana debut in 1993 at age 30 against Swaziland on 30 May and scored a hat-trick in a 14-0 demolition of the Southern African neighbours.
She hung up her boots 32 caps later in 2002, where she was also captain of the squad – she moved into coaching and never looked back.
The Capetonian rewrote the history books when she led the South African Senior Women’s National team to their maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup in France four years ago. Her “magic” with the team continued last year in July as they lifted the elusive CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in a pulsating 2-1 victory over hosts Morocco.
The launch of the books comes hot on the heels of being bestowed with the order of Ikhamanga by the State President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa last month.
About Luke Alfred:
- A sport journalist for 18 years
- Former sports editor and senior cricket writer at the Sunday Times
- Now a freelance journalist after working as consultant at Cricket South Africa
- Author of books like: Early one Sunday morning I decided to step out and found South Africa (2016); When the Lions came to town – the 1974 Rugby tour to South Africa (2014); The Art of losing – why the Proteas choke at the World Cup (2012) and Testing Times – the story of men who made SA Cricket (2003)
The book Magic: DESIREE ELLIS – From Salt River to the 2023 World Cup is available at Exclusive Books and retails for R362.
By Matlhomola Morake
