New Cape Town City Diski Challenge coach Ian Taylor wants to take the club’s young stars to the next level.
The Citizens unveiled the 45-year-old yesterday, with the former Ajax Cape Town youth mentor putting out his mission statement in a video release.
Taylor returns to City after leaving in 2017 to head up Ajax Amsterdam’s China-based academy Guangzhou City and short stints back in South Africa with Cape Town Spurs and Chippa United.
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— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) July 18, 2022
Welcome back home, Ian Taylor! 💙 pic.twitter.com/eiYxJAqtnJ
Holding a coveted Uefa Pro Licence, he says: “In every academy, there has to be a pathway.
“Everything starts with structure and organisation and then implementing the club’s philosophy down to the youth.
“If the goal is to create players for the first team, it’s very important what we do in the younger age groups.”
What a way to start the week! 😄![CDATA[]]>💙#iamCityFC pic.twitter.com/Z3LKtikDEk
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) July 18, 2022
Tasked with mentoring the likes of starlet Luphumlo Sifumba, Taylor opened up about what young local talents need to step up from the Diski Challenge to the PSL.
He adds: “Technically, we have very gifted players - they come out of townships and have instinctive skills
“What they lack is the understanding of the game - the decision-making and you can see that at PSL level.
📋| Cape Town City welcomes back Ian Taylor as the new head coach of the club's U21 Diski team!
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) July 18, 2022
Ian brings a wealth of experience having worked with Ajax Amsterdam, and we look forward to the future development of South Africa’s top youth talents. #iamCityFC pic.twitter.com/AS5moaL8TU
“And it comes down to understanding the game at a very young age and that’s down to good coaching.
“When you develop properly, you will win. But winning is also part of their development, so by the time they get to the first team, that mentality is already instilled in them.”