Clarewood JPM head coach Ashraf Calvert knows he is battling the odds and he isn’t shying away from it.
He is upfront, saying: “I never played professional football so I have to prove myself even more as a coach.”
Calvert recently achieved qualification for the Nedbank Cup last 32 and at only 34, the Parkwood native has set his sights on being counted amongst the top coaches in the country.
With a CAF A and BSC in Sports and Exercise Science in his pocket, he adds: “You read that there is a lack of qualified coaches in the top leagues in the country, so we have prove that we exist with results and prove all the doubters wrong about young coaches.”
The Nedbank Cup is the perfect platform to make that type of statement as there is potential to face any of the qualified NFD teams or Premiership teams.
Goal of the Day 🥅
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) December 4, 2022
The Blesser @sphe_mkhulise finished off a fine team move with his strike against Marumo Gallants!
How excited are you to see The Brazilians back in action? Let us know in the comments! ⬇️#Sundowns pic.twitter.com/qqo1LK8Sig
Calvert explains: “We’ll face anybody, but I would like to avoid Mamelodi Sundowns, not because I look down on the other teams but because of the type of football Sundowns play. “They dominate the ball and we also like to have the ball, so that game would be tough for us. It is what it is if we get them.”
A few months ago, he led the Vasco da Gama ladies to the Hollywoodbets Super League whom he coaches simultaneously with Clarewood and the Regesdal U18s.
That relationship, however, ended on a sour note after disagreements about payments with the club.
He explains: “We made all the effort to get them there, but in the end I couldn’t keep spending out of my own pocket.
“The focus now is to get this team promoted and I feel we have a good chance after achieving our goal of staying in the ABC. We have managed to
put together a solid squad that I think can make a strong challenge for promotion.”