Sanel Sobahle Aims to Own a Sport Management Company

USSA Netball Vice Chairperson, Sanel Sobahle comes from the Eastern Cape where she is also a sports officer at Rhodes University.

Her love for sports began at home, having an athletic father who was talented in most sporting codes while she started playing tennis as soon as she was able to hold a tennis racquet.

Sobahle also went on to play for first teams in tennis, hockey, netball, water polo, among others. She has coached netball for over 18 years and is also involved in number of committees and organizations.

Some of her career highlights include obtaining her National Grade as a Netball Umpire and in 2016 she was part of the team of the South African Delegation as manager, where their USSA Teams participated in the CUCSA (The Confederation of Universities and College Sports Association) in Zimbabwe.

Her aim is to own a Sports Management Company that will focus on the holistic careers of black athletes, especially female. Speaking with Tlamelo Kganakga, Sobahle chats more about leadership roles in universities.

Sanel, thank you for chatting to us. Please tell us about yourself and where you are from?

I was born in East London but my parents were both Academics at the University of Fort Hare in Alice (Eastern Cape), where I lived with my two older siblings. We then lived in Reading (England), where my mother was studying at the University of Reading. Thereafter my parents decided to send us to Kingswood College in Makhanda, former Grahamstown, where we eventually moved to.

When and where did your love for sports begin?

My father was a talented athlete in all sports but thrived in athletics and tennis. So, from an early age I grew up watching a lot of tennis. He would also take my siblings and I as children to the tennis court, so I played as soon as I could hold a racquet. I was also very fortunate that the school I went to (Kingswood) had a great sporting program and exposed me to various sporting codes and we were encouraged to participate in all of them. It is there that I realized that I was a natural athlete. I went on to play 1^st team tennis, hockey, netball, water polo, I was in the swimming and athletics teams. I also went on to play provincial Hockey and Tennis.

Please tell us about your role as USSA Netball Vice Chairperson and what your job entails?

As Vice Chairperson of USSA Netball, I am part of an executive with other members who hold different portfolios. We are elected to serve our university netball members and part of our mandate is to ensure that we provide opportunities for netball players in tertiary institutions to participate in netball competitions. My specific portfolio is overseeing the Rules and Bye Laws that govern USSA Netball Tournaments/Competitions, as well as heading the Disciplinary Committee pertaining to our Netball members. But as mentioned above, we work and take decisions as an Executive.

You are also a sports officer at Rhodes University. That and being vice chairperson, how do you manage your time?

I have always been involved with sport outside of my primary position as a Sports Officer. I have coached netball for over 18 years. I am also involved in a number of committees/organizations outside of my core work. Therefore, I have always been able to manage my time effectively and efficiently. Rhodes also looks at the Vice-Chairperson position in USSA Netball as part of my university work as I am serving university athletes. They are supportive when my responsibilities take me out of the office.

What are some of the challenges you face as a woman in sport and what are some of the ways you work to overcome them?

There have been positions that I had applied for and felt that I met the necessary requirements and unfortunately was overlooked. We also cannot shy away from the fact that sport is still unfortunately very male dominated. There have been many times that I felt undermined and my abilities questioned when I held certain positions. These incidences of course rocked my confidence, and I questioned my place in the sporting arena. But I have been fortunate that through my journey, I had a mentor in Mandla Gagayi, who was my Head of Department at Rhodes Sport, who is now the Director of Sport at UWC. He is a tremendous sounding board and a great support system – excellent to bounce ideas off of and challenges me to re-strategies and try again. I also have a great family support system, who continuously encourage me to push through and put one foot in front of the other.

What have been some of your career highlights to date?

I have had many highlights, on a small scale and at a bigger scale. Obtaining my National Grade as a Netball Umpire was a goal I set when I started umpiring, and receiving it was an awesome feeling.

In 2016 I was part of the Team of the South African Delegation (Manager), when our USSA Teams participated in the CUCSA (The Confederation of Universities and College Sports Association) in Zimbabwe. I also served for two terms as Chairperson of Makana Netball Association. I am also currently a Commissioner in the Eastern Cape Sports Academy Commission, where I am Vice Chairperson there as well. This year I was also elected as Chairperson of USSA Eastern Cape.

What is it that people don’t know about you?

Had not I not pursued a sporting career, I may have gone the Arts route. I played musical instruments at school, I started off with the Cello and Piano and then settled in playing the Tuba. I played in the school band and was fortunate enough to be part of the band that won an International Band competition in Austria.

Who are some of the sportswomen you admire and why?

There are two women I admire in sport, who happen to be sisters: Venus and Serena Williams. As mentioned, I grew watching tennis but there were not any tennis players who looked like me growing up. I admire what they have brought to the game of tennis and sports in general. Not only are they unbelievably talented and disciplined athletes. But I admire how they have dared to be different and be themselves in sport that did not necessarily expect them to thrive. They have shown black girls worldwide that you can do whatever you put your mind to.

Let’s talk about leadership roles in women’s sports. Where do you think we can improve and why is it important for women to take space in leadership roles?

I am in sport, in a university space. I find it disheartening that there are very few women holding Director of Sport positions in universities. I am finding that when Director of Sport positions open, it is the same males that keep moving around in those positions. There are many female Sport Officers/Managers in Institutions; I do not understand why they are not being developed to take up those positions. We are seeing that the number of females taking part in sport at university level is declining quite rapidly. This is due to several challenges that uniquely face females and we need to identify them in order to address them. Appointing women in the above-mentioned positions would be a start in possibly addressing and understanding those challenges faced by women specifically at the University sporting level.

What have been some of the lessons learned along the way in your journey, shaping you to be what you are now?

Through my journey I have learnt to not be afraid to put my hand up. You cannot wait for someone or people to recognize your abilities. When an opportunity arises, you grab it with both hands. I have also learnt not to only wait for opportunities, but to make them myself. If you see a gap somewhere, then fill that gap yourself.

What’s your greatest career ambition?

I have plenty career ambitions, as I think I am not even at an 8^th of where I want to be. However, to try to answer, I would say owning a Sports Management Company. A management company that focuses on black athletes especially females, looking after their holistic sporting career. I found that a lot of black athletes have nothing to fall back on when their sporting careers abruptly end, or retire. I would like to skill them with the necessary tools to think beyond being an athlete.

What’s your advice to young women who want to get into sports leadership roles as you have?

My practical advice would be to find a mentor. You need someone you can trust and who is knowledgeable about the sporting space you are in. A mentor will be able to assist you in setting your goals and provide you with a support structure to achieve them. On a mental note, I will say what my father recently said to me “Do not be afraid to be different”, that will set you apart from the rest. Lastly the name of the game is resilience, it is going to be hard journey, but if it was not difficult then everyone would do it.