Throughout Women’s Month, CATCH Trust will be celebrating the remarkable women whose passion, leadership and dedication continue to shape the lives of lives of young people through cricket.
This week, we are proud to feature Coach Babalwa Zothe, Head of Girls Cricket, whose coaching extends far beyond the boundary rope. For Babalwa, cricket is not only about developing talented players, it is about developing confident, resilient and courageous young women.
“Coach the whole person, not just the player.”
This simple yet powerful philosophy lies at the heart of everything Babalwa does.
While technical skills and game awareness are important, she believes the greatest victories happen when young girls begin to believe in themselves. Every training session is an opportunity to create an environment where players feel safe to learn, make mistakes, ask questions and grow.
“I believe great coaching builds skill and self belief. It’s about creating a safe space where girls can try, fail, learn and lead. My philosophy is simple: High Standards and High Support. Technique matters, but confidence, teamwork and resilience are what last long after the final innings.”
Coach Babalwa’s journey into coaching is rooted in gratitude. “Because someone once believed in me before I believed in myself”. Today, coaching is her way of giving that same opportunity to others.
For her, success is measured not only in runs scored or matches won, but in the quiet transformations that happen within each player, when a girl once doubted herself walks off the field standing a little taller than when she arrived.
“It’s about more than creating the next professional cricketer, it’s about creating women who know their voice matters.”
Coach Babalwa believes that empowering girls creates lasting change far beyond sport.
“When you invest in girls, you invest in communities.”
She explained, that girls who participate in sport, receive mentorship and are given opportunities to lead and develop skills that stay with them for life. They build confidence, learn teamwork, develop resilience and discover how to navigate challenges. “An investment in a girl today compounds into stronger families, stronger workplaces and ultimately a better country for tomorrow.”
While trophies and victories are memorable, Coach Babalwa treasure the small moments that often go unnoticed.
Se recalled the excitement of watching a shy player attempt a new skill in training and seeing the pride on her face when it finally clicked. She treasures the moment when a group of individuals becomes a united team, encouraging and protecting one another both on and off the field.
Perhaps the most rewarding of all are the messages she receives from former players who tell her they applied lessons learned during training, whether in cricket or in life and succeeded because they believed in themselves.
Those moments remind her why she coaches.
Coach Babalwa leaves every young girl with the following to reflect on:
“You don’t have to be the loudest to lead. You don’t have to be perfect to start. Take up space. Ask questions. Support your teammates. And when someone tells you, Girls can’t do that, smile… and go and do it anyway. The world needs your ideas, your energy and your courage. Gone are the days when cricket was considered a boy’s sport. It is our game too.”
As we celebrate Women’s Month, Coach Babalwa reminds us that leadership is not defined by titles or trophies, it is found in every opportunity to encourage, empower and inspire the next generation.
