Clinton Larsen, the newly appointed head coach of Venda Football Club, has spoken publicly for the first time since taking on the challenge with last season's struggling team in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
Larsen has signed a two-year contract with the Limpopo club, which finished 14th out of 16 teams in the league last season.
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"It's not very often that a club allows you to build your own technical team, bring in players, and choose your own assistant coach, goalkeeper coach, and physical trainer," Larsen tells KickOff.
"I’m excited about this opportunity to build a team in my own way. I'm not only joining as a coach but also as the director of the academy, which will be opening soon. Development is very important to me.
"This role will allow me to shape the academy according to my vision, and I will be overseeing its operations.
"The mandate remains the same in the NFD; there is no top eight. My objective is to lead the team to a top-three finish. I understand that it won't be easy, especially since the team has struggled with relegation over the past three seasons. However, it's my job to turn things around."
Larsen, who won the Carling Knockout Cup last season with Betway Premiership club Magesi FC after promoting them from the Motsepe Foundation Championship, has committed to fulfilling his mission at Venda FC.
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"I'm officially off the market. When I give my word to someone, I stand by it. I'm not like most other coaches who might leave a team for another offer, just because it's a higher division.
"You often see coaches abandoning a team without a second thought. I can never do that. I pride myself on being a man of my word."
Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
