They’ve never letmedown

“But I’ll have to say Nicholus Lukhubeni is one of the many who stand out.”

When the fixtures for the 2022/23 D Stv Premiership season were released, the first thing to notice was the congestion, which was inevitable due to the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup. This not only challenged coaches and their preparations, but it also questioned the players’ physical thresholds of playing a match every three days. One person tasked with ensuring Swallows FC players remain at their physical best is conditioning coach K asey Oliver, who has worked her way up the ranks to land comfortably in the Birds’ nest. With the league currently in recess for the World Cup, the Cape Town-born fitness guru granted Soccer Laduma’s D elmain Faver her time. In this interview, she talks about the physical challenges facing local players, the difference between working with coach D ylan K err and Musa Nyatama and why players need to invest in their wellbeing.

Delmain Faver: Kasey, thanks for speaking to us. For the uninitiated, just what does a conditioning coach do?

Kasey Oliver: Well, according to Google, conditioning coaches develop systematic training programmes for both teams and individual athletes, often working in close association with coaches. This usually includes teaching proper lifting techniques, supervising and motivating athletes as they work out, and assessing their performance before and after the programme. With that being said, you become more than just a sports scientist or conditioning coach, you

become their hope, their engine, and the reason they often are not allowed to give up!

DF: Describe what a typical day entails for you in your line of duty.

KO: I’ve enrolled in doing a sports psychology course and this plays a

huge role in how I start my day. As much as I’m the conditioning coach, who works on getting them in the best form physically, the typical day starts with some banter here and there to set the standard of what the training

session will be like. We’ll then go through a warm-up, some activation,

and the session continues.

DF: How closely does a conditioning coach work with the head coach, as information between the club’s medical team, technical team and conditioning team must be flowing on a regular basis?

KO: We go together like salt and pepper. In order for me to do my job, I need to know what the coach wants and needs. We need to work hand-inhand in order to get the best results from the players.

DF: You were working in the lower leagues before eventually making your way into the Birds’ nest. How did you end up joining the club?

KO: Yes, I worked for a few clubs from different leagues in different cities, different age groups, a ladder that one needs to climb. Thankfully, I was given the opportunity

by coach Dylan Kerr, who I had the privilege of working alongside.

DF: The club was fresh from contesting the PSL promotion/ relegation play-offs when you came on board. How much toll would you say the postseason fixtures took on the players physically?

KO: It definitely took its toll. I mean, with not much rest, they had to get straight back into it. But they were rather disciplined and understood the importance of recovery and bouncing back.

DF: And now, the players have been on a break due to the FIFA World Cup that’s taking place in Qatar. Does this typically have an impact on players’ fitness levels when there are these types of breaks?

KO: 100%. But a break is needed, physically and mentally. Despite being footballers, they are also human, not machines. So, yes, the break will affect their fitness, but I believe in my boys and when it’s time to work, they’ve never let me down. So, I have no doubt that after the break, the marathon continues and we finish what we started.

DF: We know that a DStv Premiership season can be quite taxing. How important would you say it is for players to be in perfect condition?

KO: Perfect condition not just physically but

mentally as well. Unlike other professions, as an athlete your body is your investment. Mentally, you need to be in a good space in order to perform at your maximum potential. So, it’s extremely important,

and in my opinion, being an athlete is a 24-hour job because what you do “after hours” will reflect on the field.

DF: We often hear coaches complain that players are not robots and that the congested fixture list could have an effect on them. From a professional point of view, what are the long-term effects of playing matches every three days on players?

KO:

Oh, those back-to-back games! It demands so much from everyone – players, technical staff. Maintenance in the form of re covery for the

players, at this time, is one of the most important aspects. The body starts to crash if not wellmaintained and taken care of.

DF: What roles do sleep and a healthy diet play in ensuring that the players are physically and mentally ready for the demands of professional football?

KO: You can’t put diesel in a petrol car. What you put in your body will eventually show on the field. Football is a 24/7 job – if you really are serious, it affects every part of your life. How you eat, how you mentally deal with life outside of football, your resting patterns all have a direct effect on the type of footballer you become.

DF: You are in a typically maledominated industry, where females are few and far between. What do you regards as the most challenging part of your job so far?

KO: Well, as you mentioned, it’s a male-d ominated

industry, and (you are) often dealing with men who aren’t open-minded enough to see what women in the industry bring to the table. But then one often sees that being seen by the wrong people doesn’t matter when you’re valued by the right ones.

DF: Similarly, what’s been the most rewarding factor about your job? KO: The goal is to serve the players, so seeing growth in the players, from all aspects, has to be the best (part). You spend so much time with them they become your little family. So, seeing them becoming better humans, better footballers, seeing senior players step up, seeing junior players take up space, growing from circumstances and adapting to circumstances beyond their control, it’s amazing.

DF: Is there one player that has perhaps impressed you most with his physical conditioning since you arrived at the club?

KO: I’ve seen all these players do incredible things, invest in their bodies and really take care of themselves. That type of discipline is very rare. But I’ll have to say Nicholus Lukhubeni is one of the many who stand out. His endurance level is out of this world.

DF: One of Swallows’ key charges, Bafana Mthethwa, was out with a long-term injury last campaign, but has since returned to action, something that must have left you feeling really satisfied. KO: When you speak about Bafana, energy comes to mind. You see it at training, on bus trips, in camp. There’s no way an injury would’ve kept him down. He was definitely missed and it’s so good to have him back. He came back stronger, hungry and a lot more resilient.

DF: You’ve obviously worked with coach Kerr, who has since departed, with Musa Nyatama, a former player of the club, now in charge. What are the noticeable differences in approach from the two coaches?

KO: Both coaches I’ve been extremely privileged to work with. Both I was able to learn and grow from so much. Each to his own and both coaches coach with heart. Both coaches had the approach that had the team’s best interest at heart. ❐