As we enter the second half of the year, we would like to commemorate our Maties Staff on their new staff movements and promotions.
We are proud to announce our new Head of Sport Management, Reginald Smith.
“I am excited about the challenge. I look forward to working with our various Sport Managers and supporting them in achieving their objectives as well as ensuring we work as a collective in achieving our Maties Sport Strategic objectives.”
The former Sport Manager of Maties Hockey says the key performance areas of the new role excite him, as he has twenty-eight years of experience in Sport Club management at 4 different tertiary intuitions.
“It is therefore a positive step for me to move from direct Sport Club Management to a more strategic role. It is important to evolve and utilise experience gained over time at a more strategic level,” expressed Smith.
Anché Nortje says she is thrilled and extremely thankful for this new opportunity. “I love working with people and, setting up partnerships that would be beneficial for both parties. With this new position, it allows me to do exactly that.”
Nortje began as an assistant coach to the women’s hockey 1st team in 2015, later she progressed to Maties Hockey Coordinator, where she was responsible for coordinating events, clinics, and tournaments. She is the new Acting: Sport Manager responsible for Hockey. “Developing managerial experience in this role would definitely benefit me in the long run,” concludes Nortje.
We would also like to congratulate Chuma Dyakala as she advanced to an Administrative Officer, she interned at Maties Sport for two years, where she has gained experience as a Sport Management Intern, however she says it’s time to venture into a new direction, which is projects and events.
“In my new role, I will be working side by side with the Head of Sport Management, Reginald Smith, and the Director of Support Services, Jerry Laka. This is a challenge I believe I am ready for at this point in my career.”
Dyakala has both qualifications in Sport Management and Events Management, which makes this role the perfect position for her to expand her practical knowledge at Maties Sport.
Ellroy Smith started as a part-time youth coordinator back in 2004, he says this moment feels like full circle to him. Considering his years of appointment at Maties, the experience he has gained as a high-performance Football coach, and the successful completion of his academic qualification, this position as a Sport Manager was well deserved.
“I’m excited and nervous at the same time. It was not something I would have imagined 4 years ago would have happened. With the new role comes new responsibility and accountability,” he said.
Sean Surmon, Deputy Head of High-Performance has been splitting his time between managing and leading the HP department and Acting: Sport Manager for Rugby since April 2021. He states this role has been a journey, it has included a lot of growth and acquiring a lot of newly discovered knowledge.
“Sport management is the area where I wanted to grow, to enhance my career, and this opportunity came at such a good time. It also required a process of change management and transformation leadership, which are all arears where I wanted to enhance my career growth.”
Surmon, says he looks forward to using the knowledge he acquired from Rugby, to assist other different sporting clubs in the future.
Yaseen Gangat, Sport Administrator of Tygerberg Campus has been given the opportunity to be Acting: Sport Manager for Esports starting 31 August 2022. Gangat has had a passion for gaming since a young age, “I am incredibly happy and thankful that I am able to practice my true passion on a daily basis. It is often said that if you do what you love, you won’t work a day in your life, and I cannot agree with that more!” said Gangat.
ESports began in 2017 at Stellenbosch University and was the first of its kind, at a tertiary institution. “My new role in the ESports arena will serve to enhance the relationship between main campus and Tygerberg with regular alternate ESports tournaments and leagues between the campuses with future plans to incorporate the military campus.”
Gangat has hosted successful and exciting Esports tournaments at the Tygerberg Campus for the past two years, and this has given him valuable experience in the newly developed sport code.
Other Staff Movements:
Charlé Swart: Sport Manager
Zukhanye Magwa: Acting Sport Manager: Basketball, Tennis, and Cycling
We wish everyone a prosperous journey in their new positions and roles. The staff’s experience, abilities, dedication, and hard work have taken them to new heights of success, and we could not be more proud!
By Jamie Wyngaardt