Isco is a talented player at the heart of our ladies team’s midfield, and a vital component of our entire organisation. As well as being a player, Isco is also a coach for our U14 girls team and the administration manager of all of our Two Oceans League HPL teams from U12 to U18.
“I was born and grew up in Khayelitsha and started playing football at 9 years old with my older siblings. I was playing for a club in Khayelitsha called Portia FC when my friend Happy (another current HBUFC ladies team player) told me about a team in Hout Bay that was in need of more players having just been promoted to the regional league. I went onto Facebook and found coach Dali who I saw was the manager of HBUFC’s ladies team. I sent him a message asking if I could come, and he agreed to letting me train with the team for a week”.
“At the end of the week, I was unsure if I had done enough to make the team or not, so I spoke to Dali and told him I didn’t have enough transport money to get to and from training the following week. He arranged for HBUFC to cover this cost, and from then on I knew I was part of the team! The following season I was able to move from Khayelitsha to Hout Bay, so transport costs became a thing of the past.”
“I started coaching this year for the U14 girls and even won my first trophy as a coach, the plate section at the Kuilsriver Super Sevens. I really enjoy coaching my team, being able to transfer the knowledge that I have been taught and have picked up from playing to them is really inspiring for me and I love seeing my team of little Iscos develop.”
“Last year I graduated from CPUT with a diploma in public administration. This year I got an advanced diploma, and now I am working on my Masters.”
When asked what her goals for the future were, Isco replied: “I am really falling in love with coaching. I would love to one day have the opportunity of coaching HBUFC’s Elite Ladies team in the Hollywood Bets league. At the same time, I would like to use what I have learnt from my education to get a big job as a CEO or company manager at an organisation that requires my skill set. Down the line, I’d also like to look at starting my own football academy, that way I could combine my love of football and coaching with the knowledge I have picked up while studying”.
