Wayne Coetzee reflects on his debut season at Parel Vallei
When Wayne Coetzee left his alma mater, Grey College, to join Parel Vallei High School (PV) at the end of 2024, the news sent shockwaves through the schools’ hockey community.
Coetzee had plied his trade at the Bloemfontein school for most of his coaching career, but, he felt, it was time to step into the unknown and embark on a new challenge.
Bomber, as he’s affectionately known, took over the girls’ hockey programme at PV and also took on the task of coaching the girls’ first team.
In a chat with SuperSport Schools Plus, he reflected on his time at the Somerset West school since coming on board.
“The two environments are very different,” he said. “Parel Vallei is an up-and-coming school and a force to be reckoned with in the future, and the school is working hard to put in place structures to get to the top.
“Grey College, meanwhile, has those structures, and they are already embedded in the country as a force. I think PV is that youngster that’s coming through, and you’ve got to keep an eye out for them.
“What I do enjoy here, though, is that it’s not a ‘win at all costs’ environment. It’s a lot more about allowing the kids to play with freedom and not with a lot of pressure.”
There were always going to be challenges for Coetzee during the early stages of his tenure and navigating the first 10 games was tricky, but his side progressed markedly and produced some outstanding results.
“I think we had a successful season,” he said. “I was looking back, and after the first 10 games, we ended up winning our first match only in the eighth game.
“In that period, we won two, drew four, and lost four, and then we never looked back, and that’s when our season kicked off.
“It was a lot to do with us finding one another. The players were learning my style and what works, and once that clicked, we never looked back.
“We also won the Kingsmead College Courage Cup, got a bronze medal at the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament, and finished in fifth place at the Challengers Cup.
“Beating Bloemhof 2-0 was nice, and we had a hell of a game versus Rhenish where we lost 0-1 and then ended the season with a solid 3-0 win over Pearson.”
While his players performed on the AstroTurf, the side was also building strong relationships and a team culture.
For Coetzee, it was his first time taking charge of a girls’ side. It was, he admitted, a fun experience. “I think I’ve become a little bit softer,” he said, laughing.
“Coaching girls almost weighs you down and makes you softer. They are fun to coach.
“With boys, you’ve got to be firmer, and you’ve got to keep trimming the tree because of their ego, but with girls, you have to keep watering and fertilising the tree.
“You have to praise them, talk positively, be a father figure, and look after their mental state.”
The coach also featured on the team’s Instagram page several times this season and said the girls enjoy having his sons around them.
“They are social media-driven and have been very inclusive, especially with my family. They love it when my boys are around. They take time to play with them. My boys want to be on the bus because they’re really good with them. It’s like a family. We care for one another.”
Heading into 2026, Coetzee’s main agenda will be to continue growing the PV girls’ programme and building on the foundation laid in 2025.
This year, they provided four players for the Boland u18A side that won the SASHOC National Week.
Jordan Boer and Skylar Bougaard were also selected for the u18 SA Schools team, while Emihle Wulana represented the SA u17 side against Zimbabwe in August.
“The way you want to run the programme is to make the players a lot more marketable.
“Because I am one of the national selectors, it helps me coach the players and present them that way so we can have more Boland players and more SA players.
“We are fortunate to have three SA players in the setup this year with Jordan, Emihle, and Skylar.
“The more we work on the programme and get the girls in the right shape in terms of what selectors are looking for, then that number will increase,” he concluded.
