Woody Jacobs appointed as Brave Gladiators’ interim coach
Woody Jacobs will lead the Brave Gladiators as interim coach in the upcoming international football following his unveiling at Football House this week by the Namibia Football Association (NFA)Secretary-General, Franco Cosmos.
Jacobs will head the team as they vie for top honours in the COSAFA Women Championship that is slated for 28 September till 09 October at the Nelson Mandela Bay in South Africa and the World Cup qualifiers.
“When I got the call, I jumped at the opportunity. I applied and those that make the decisions felt that Woody Jacobs is the right man for the job,” said Jacobs.
Jacobs’ focus will be to improve the Brave Gladiators’ performances and world rankings.
“There’s so much potential. I believe with the right combination of desire, effort, and methods, the team can become formidable,” Jacobs stated.
“When I leave here one day, I want to leave with the team ranked under 100. That is doable,” added Jacobs.
Namibia open their Cosafa Women’s Championship with a Group C clash against guest nation Uganda on 30 September.
Zambia and Eswatini are the other teams in the group. Only the top team per pool and best-placed runner-up progress to the semi-finals.
The last meeting between the two sides ended in a goalless stalemate at the tournament in 2019. Namibia failed to emerge from the group then after registering a win, draw, and defeat.
“Although they’ve had some success here and there, especially with the development of the game, growing the team into a formidable outfit and being one of the feared teams in southern Africa is something that I want to work towards.
The competition will be perfect preparation for the start of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers that are scheduled to be played in the Fifa international window that runs from 18 to 26 October.
The Gladiators face Tanzania in the qualifiers and will play their home match in South Africa due to substandard stadiums in Namibia.
Jacobs will be assisted by Uerikondjera Kasaona, with Natasha Cloete as the Manager, Heribert Kapeng as the Goalkeeper Coach, and Virginia Tjihero the team’s Fitness Coach.
