Cavin Johnson has been appointed as the new Kaizer Chiefs head of academy, a role that involves overseeing the club’s youth academy and scouting network.
He brings a wealth of coaching experience and qualifications to this position. Johnson started his coaching career as a junior coach at the Transnet School of Excellence. During this time, he worked with Dillon Sheppard, who is now the assistant coach at Kaizer Chiefs.
The former Al Ahly assistant coach holds a UEFA professional coaching license, demonstrating his expertise in coaching and a strong foundation in European football.
He has also obtained coaching licenses from organizations like CAF (Confederation of African Football), the Dutch Football Association, and the Brazilian CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation).
From 2008 to 2012, Johnson served as the Director of the Royal Bafokeng Sports Academy. During this period, he played a role in developing the Platinum Stars academy, contributing to the growth of youth football talent in the region.
He has had coaching stints with several South African clubs, including Platinum Stars, SuperSport United, AmaZulu, and Black Leopards, which highlights his experience at various levels of the game.
Perhaps one of the most significant experiences in Johnson’s coaching career was his time as an assistant to Pitso Mosimane at Egyptian club Al Ahly.
During his tenure there, the team achieved success by winning the CAF Champions League in both 2020 and 2021, giving him a deep understanding of the expectations and demands of a prominent club.
“We are delighted to bring coach Cavin on board,” said Chiefs sporting director, Kaizer Motaung Jr.
“He brings a wealth of knowledge that will continue to build our academy programs and scouting network in order to take the club forward with the aim of imprinting the Kaizer Chiefs philosophy throughout every level of the club.
“We believe Coach Cavin possesses all the attributes to steer us in the direction we want to go, which is to continue to create an elite development model that will lead us to sustainable success into the future.”
Johnson said he is excited about the opportunity to coach Amakhosi. “I am happy to join Kaizer Chiefs as Head of Youth and the scouting department.
“For me, joining Amakhosi means joining an institution. I am also happy to bring along all my experience that I have gained over the past 20-25 years of working with youth,” he says.
“Hopefully, in my time at Kaizer Chiefs, we will be able to unearth and develop the next Doctor Khumalos, Ace Khuses, Jabu Pules, Tinashe Nengomashas.