If Maties’ Senior Sports Manager, Anche Nortje, is given an opening, she would have all Stellenbosch University staff engaged in physical wellness – be it yoga, mediation, mindful walking or even massages.
And all as part of their working day!
“It makes good business sense,” says the manager of Matie’s Hockey and the Recreation and Active Lifestyle Unit (RALU). “The more you fuel staff, the more mileage you will get out of them.”
Anche introduced monthly massage sessions for staff at Maties Sport, Wednesday Wellness Walks and a 20-minute wellness session every second Friday morning – with real barista coffee! And while the men might be slow to embrace meditation, the programme is growing in popularity.
“The ethos behind the staff wellness and the student-focused RALU programme is to get people out of the four walls, off their seats and to get active. Not necessarily to break sweat but rather to ground; to activate your mindset to be the best version of yourself. Movement is life. Get on your feet to think on your feet,” she says.
For all students, she drives the hugely popular Bumper Nights – regular evenings at Coetzenburg where anyone at any level can join in a range of activities from team sports to cultural games, eSport, chess, and mini golf… or just come along to hang out in the fresh air under floodlights in a safe space.
Anche came to Stellenbosch University as a student in 2004 to study Sports Science where she played hockey until 2011. After completing her post-grad teaching diploma, she wandered around in early adulthood, coaching tennis and taking on administrative work.
“I was a lost individual, unsure of my path. But then I was offered a half-day admin post back in the Maties Hockey club in 2015,” she recalls. That turned out to be a homecoming that saw her progress from administrator, to coordinator, then manager, and now Senior Sports Manager: Hockey and RALU.
“Life should be about continuous growth … try, make mistakes, redo. I was once told at the start of my career that I was ‘really bad’ at a particular function. That inspired me to become the best in that area – and now that function is central to what I do now. “
Given her experiences as a student-athlete at Maties Sport and her journey to where she is now, Anche feels she is well suited to guiding student club members through sport. “Sport will teach you about life: time management, relationship building, accountability and the value of community and teamwork. Life isn’t about me-me; we are part of a whole.”
Anche, who describes herself as a lifelong learner, has since studied life coaching to not only serve her students and team but to also better understand and grow herself. “Personal development is ongoing and important for everyone. But this is especially important for women who tend to undersell themselves, and are often in disbelief when they achieve success.”
Within Maties Hockey, gender equality is part of the game. “We make a conscious decision here not to prioritise one gender over the other. We train, celebrate and commiserate equally,” she says.