Nthabiseng Phosa Dreams of Becoming a Sports Anchor

KFC Mini Cricket Provincial Coordinatior, Nthabiseng Phosa, is making waves to develop young girls in the sport and hopes to make her dreams of becoming a sports anchor come true.

Hailing from Floral Park in Polokwane, the Marketing Manager has an incredible educational background as she aims to use her knowledge to expand her horizons in the sport industry.

Phosa reveals that she draws inspiration from Netball South Africa President, Cecilia Molokwane, who has believed in her abilities from day one.

In 2022, Phosa aims to expand the mini cricket program to a higher level and engage with new entities that can help further develop cricket.

Speaking with Tlamelo Kganakga, Phosa reveals the challenge women’s sport faces in South Africa and highlights of her career to date.

Nthabiseng, thank you for chatting to us. Please tell us more about yourself.

My name is Nthabiseng Rejoice Phosa and I reside in Floral Park (Polokwane). I work for Limpopo Impala Cricket under Cricket South Africa, and I’ve been involved in different sporting codes from childhood to date. I played a few sports namely; Hockey, Soccer, Swimming and Athletics. My love for cricket grew as the years went by and I played a few games under Eagles Cricket Club.

I studied marketing through UNISA and did my major in sports medicine with Boston City campus. I also studied social work and majored in psychology with UNISA, but I’m left with a few modules to complete my studies. I then went to study Mastery in Leadership with Harvard University in USA and I’m currently registered to study my LLB with UNISA.

What is your current position in cricket?

I’m currently the KFC Mini cricket provincial coordinator. I am in charge of development cricket in the whole province of Limpopo and I’m also the Marketing Manager. I started working as Marketing Manager in 2018 to date.

I actually self-appointed myself until my current C.E.O, Mr. Tommy Phiri, saw me fit for this position and gave me the go ahead. I managed to assist our company with getting a few sponsors and to date we still have a few businesses sponsoring us.

Being a Marketing Manager in a male dominated sport is very challenging but extremely educational at the same time depending on one’s perspective. It is also a beautiful experience.

Please tell us more about your role as Development Coordinator?

My main focus is being the KFC mini cricket provincial coordinator in all the five districts in Limpopo, and I must say in the past six years it’s been an absolutely beautiful journey just seeing the smiles on these young kids’ faces. The drive to learn a new sport if you recall very well, cricket was a sport that was not exactly accessible to some of us and knowing that I have the power and the ability to take it out to all the five districts in our province it’s just extremely satisfying.

My focus is mainly the rural areas where I develop cricket in those areas and give them equipment and clothing for free. I go through the schools, and we have a continuous system, as you might know that sometimes some sports don’t have a continuity. In my case for mini cricket, we’ve got high school cricket, we’ve got clubs – both senior men and women. So, in that case it helps us have a complete continuity of the you know the cricket space.

What is the greatest challenge we currently face with sport in South Africa?

Personally, I think the biggest challenge that we are faced with in South Africa is that women are not given as much space or attention in the sport industry, we aren’t taken as seriously as men are.

We don’t get as much media coverage as men do, and most of the time we do better than men in most building codes, but no one knows about that.

Another issue that I think is affecting sport in South Africa is that we have financial constraints. The government can only do so much, in my case Cricket South Africa can only do so much and we as Limpopo Impala Cricket must outsource more funds in order for us to reach as many people as possible.

Who are some of the sportswomen you admire and why?

The sportswoman that I admire the most is NSA President Mrs Cecilia Molokwane. She is the woman who believed in me when I started my cricket career in 2013 and the only woman in the interview panel that was interviewing me. I remember after my interview she literally stood up and said this woman (being me) is going far and she will take cricket far. She walked out of an interview as a panelist and said I have found the right person and fast forward a few years later, I’m doing so great in cricket, and she has been mentoring me throughout.

What has been some of your highlights in your career?

My biggest highlight in my career is that I was first female to be appointed in the history of Limpopo entrusted in running the provincial program. In 2021, I was the first acting CEO in the whole of South Africa as a female. Even to date, there has never been a female who has ever occupied that seat, be it acting or permanent. It was surely an amazing experience, and it was also extremely challenging but very educational for me.

If you could change one thing in the Mini Cricket, what would it be and why?

The mini cricket structure is so well positioned or structured that if I was to change one thing I would say parents must allow their female daughters to play cricket. Structures are in place and KFC is sponsoring us for 25 years, we’re actually celebrating 12 years with KFC this year and we need more females between the ages of 5 to 13 in our mini cricket program.

What are some of the lessons you have learned in your career?

Some of the lessons that I’ve learned in my career, is that never underestimate any human being because you do not know who can assist you and how, but the greatest lesson that I’ve learned is being humble at all times. Never be prideful and lastly always be willing to help where you can.

What’s your greatest ambition?

My greatest ambition actually is to be a sports anchor. I want to work with one of these massive companies nationally and internationally because I’ve been involved physically in so many sporting codes and I would love to broaden that horizon and tap more into it and use my voice. Also, what I would love to achieve is have these young kids who are now in mini cricket to play provincial cricket or regional cricket but preferably to play cricket at national level.

What do you think of gsport and its impact on women’s sport?

One thing I can tell you about gsport is that the impact it has on women in sport is absolutely amazing. It has given us a platform to say our stories, to speak about ourselves and the work we do for our communities and societies.

What do you think we as media can do to amplify women’s sports?

I think what media can do to amplify women’s sport is to be present honestly at every single event that has to do with females be it big or small.

Engage more with us as women in sport, tap into our brains and find out what more do we know apart from our specified sporting code.

Myself for example, I know of different women in different sporting codes, like rugby and swimming, that would love to be featured on gsport.

What do you look forward to in 2022?

In 2022, I have great plans! There’s so much I want to achieve and looking forward to. I definitely can’t wait to expand and market the mini cricket program at a higher level and engage with new entities that can help cricket grow.

Photo 1 Caption: KFC Mini Cricket Provincial Coordinatior, Nthabiseng Phosa, is making waves to develop young girls in the sport and hopes to make her dreams of becoming a sports anchor come true. Photo: Supplied