Coaches still black-balled by the system
Equality‚ or lack thereof‚ remains in the spotlight in the National Football League (NFL) in the US.
Of the 32 head coaches in the American Football’s NFL, only eight come from a minority grouping.
Currently 75% of head coaches are white‚ while the same racial demographic only represents 30% of the player base.
Moreover‚ minority coaches are largely employed on defence‚ while their white colleagues tend to get roped in as offense masterminds.
Those statistics will resonate with black rugby coaches in this country. While the clamour for greater black representation on the field is starting to yield results‚ black coaches still tend to sit at the back of the coach’s box‚ or they carry messages and water bottles. They are almost anonymous.
This is not surprising when you consider that in the major executive decision-making positions‚ no black representation exists.
None of the CEOs, head coaches or directors of rugby/ high-performance managers at our Super Rugby franchises are black.
That in itself isn’t surprising because, at HQ (SA Rugby)‚ no black representation exist in those key positions either.
No wonder black coaches are crying foul at being black-balled by the system.
Peter de Villiers vented his frustration after his stint with the Springboks‚ although the colour of his skin may not have been his biggest career impediment.
There has‚ however‚ been a systematic depravation of opportunities for black coaches‚ especially when you consider that in 23 editions of Super Rugby‚ only Chester Williams‚ Allister Coetzee and Deon Davids have made it to the position of head coach.
In the Cape‚ Stormers assistant-coach Paul Treu’s grievances with Western Province are now the subject of an “independent” probe.
Despite outgoing WP president Thelo Wakefield’s best efforts‚ the Treu case is one that is unlikely to go away in a hurry. His complaints cut deeper than the squeals of a man being deprived an equal voice in a coaching huddle.
Treu is principled‚ as he is educated‚ and it is moot whether the findings of a WP appointed “independent” company will bring the recourse he is seeking.
His fight‚ and that of other black coaches‚ isn’t just for a more equitable slice of the trimmings that come with being a head coach‚ but the dignity and respect that goes along with it.
If they are not recognised locally‚ how on earth are they going to compete on an equal footing for jobs abroad‚ or even at this country’s top schools where an even deeper system of patronage is at play?