RESA’s spirits high as coach Mathumbo prepares for Sundowns
September and Spring begins with another highly anticipated weekend of action in the Gauteng Development League (GDL), with four of the top five teams facing one another.
Key matches among the front-runners on Saturday include Remember Elite Sport Academy (RESA) against Mamelodi Sundowns, at Clapham High School, in Pretoria, and Highlands Park against SuperSport United, at Balfour Park.
Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools
In the lead-up to the RESA versus Sundowns match, SuperSport Schools Plus interviewed Sandile Mathumbo, the Sporting Director and u19 coach of RESA.
As Sporting Director, Mathumbo and his team design the academy’s technical curriculum. He leads the coaching, technical, and support staff at RESA, overseeing the boys’ and girls’ development programmes and senior teams.
In the 2024 season, the RESA u19 side finished twelfth in the GDL, but their results are much improved in 2025. Mathumbo spoke about the shift in mindset that has delivered better results.
“If you look at the GDL, it’s always a four-to five-year cycle,” he said, “from the time a player is introduced into the academy set-up, when he is 13 or 14 years old. That player will then engage in the programme for the subsequent five years, until reaching the age of 19.
“Those who enter the programme early must navigate their developmental journey, and it is at the conclusion of this process that we can assess their readiness for advancement to higher leagues or professional environments”, he explained.
Over the past four-plus years, the young players have experienced positive development. Mathumbo attributed that to the coaches who have guided the players during that time.
The fruits of that development are now transparent at the u19 level, where the players are in the competitive phase of their growth.
“[In] the junior levels of the GDL, it’s mainly development and, therefore, you cannot judge the readiness of a player at 13 or 14, but when we get to u16 and above, it’s the competition phase.
“We start teaching the players how to implement tactics and how to win. It’s good to see that our boys, in terms of readiness, are showing hunger and performing strongly in certain competitions, including winning the Kings Cup, earlier this year.”
In 2025, RESA has now been in the mainstream of the GDL for four years. The value that they have derived from that experience has revealed itself, and it has also highlighted the excellent work being done at the club.
The GDL is a tough league, Mathumbo stated. “The top five teams – Highlands Park, Mamelodi Sundowns, SuperSport United, Randburg AFC, and RESA – are competing for the league title this season.
“It’s going to be a cinematic end to the league. It’s going to be a blockbuster.
“In moments like these, a great deal is required from the players, particularly from the technical players, to ensure that we compete until the final day of the season,” Mathumbo explained.
Teaching the players how to win is essential, he added. However, they also require a smooth transition to the competitive stage of their development. “For this, it is necessary to have someone with a profound understanding [of the game’s demands], as pushing these boys into high competition without proper guidance can lead to detrimental effects.
“You need to understand that it’s a gradual transition, and we are lucky at RESA to have coaches that understand the phases of development,” Mathumbo told SuperSport Schools Plus.
RESA’s emphasis is on improving the performance of young players, including their psychological and tactical development – all of which contribute to the development of either a proficient or deficient player. If any of those elements is mismanaged during the developmental stage, it could result in an incomplete player or one who faces difficult psychological challenges.
Mathumbo said some of the club’s players will, at some point in their careers, undergo testing at a professional level. Consequently, when the young men have been nurtured to achieve success, some of the coaches are surprised by the players’ inability to maintain professionalism over an extended period of time.
At RESA, Mathumbo said, an emphasis is placed on performance factors during the developmental stages.
“A player like [PSL star] Thabang Monare, is a prime example of the players we are trying to create at RESA. He is never in the newspaper for wrong things, no bad publicity, always giving his all,” Mathumbo said.
“He treats his football as his career, and he knows that there will be life after football. He is business inclined. He gives back to the club, showing how wholesome he is as a human being.”
Monare, who is currently with Sekhukhune United, progressed through the ranks of RESA and, besides Sekhukhune United, has also represented Orlando Pirates, Bidvest Wits, Jomo Cosmos, and the South African national team, Bafana Bafana. He exemplifies the professionalism that they aspire to achieve at RESA, Mathumbo said.
Winning the GDL title would be a major milestone for the Vereenging-based club. Coach Mathumbo has emphasised that fact to his players, saying, too, that it is a major accomplishment to compete against some of the nation’s finest clubs, including their opponents on Saturday, Mamelodi Sundowns.
The match is anticipated to be a box office showdown. Even though Sundowns has home ground advantage, Mathumbo is expectingit to be a tough challenge for both outfits.
“We are two great teams. We both have to prepare. We are at the same level of competition, same level of talent,” he said.
Heading into the contest, Mathumbo likened himself and his RESA team to David with five stones.
“I’m the underdog. Obviously, Sundowns is a bigger organisation, but we are preparing hard. We have faced them a couple of times, and those have been tough games. It hasn’t been easy, even for them,” he reckoned.
It’s about delivering on the day, Mathumo stated. Sometimes, when both teams showcase their excellence, football is the winner. When a memorable game is played, the outcome is secondary. What truly matters is that everyone remembers that game.
The RESA coach said his hope for Saturday’s clash is that an entertaining, evenly contested, and well officiated game unfolds.
“Because we are in competition, as a coach I hope we will come away with the much-needed points to close the gap,” he concluded. “We are in high spirits. The team is looking good.”
This weekend, the RESA girls’ team also tackles Sundowns at President Park in a Gauteng Women’s Development League (GWDL) game, on Sunday. Mathumbo said he will be closely monitoring their game and extended his best wishes to the team.
FIXTURES
Saturday, 6 September
14:00
Alex Stadium
TS Galaxy vs Jomo Cosmos
Tsakane Stadium
East Rand Athletic Stadium vs Tuks
Huntersfield Stadium
Kathorus Hyper Academy vs Rockefvs
Randburg Sports Complex
Panorama FC vs Joburg City
Marks Park
Wits Junior vs Sevens Academy
Balfour Park
Highlands Park vs SuperSport United
Kaizer Chiefs Village
Kaizer Chiefs vs Elspark United
15:00
Clapham High School
Mamelodi Sundowns vs RESA
Sunday, 7 September
14:00
Clapham High
Mamelodi Sundowns vs Highlands Park
Tuks Sports Ground
University of Pretoria (Tuks) vs TS Galaxy
