Van Eck embracing new role with Tuskers Ladies

As the new season approaches, the Tuskers Ladies side will welcome a new coach in the form of Adele van Eck as they continue to fight for promotion to the top division of women's cricket.

Van Eck has spent years refining her craft and building her way up to be a coach and this season she will continue that journey after spending time with the Eastern Storm. Van Eck has spent some valuable time in national set-ups and was part of the staff that helped the SA Under-19 girls team get to the final of the U19 World Cup.

With plenty of experience, Van Eck's CV shows that she is the right candidate for the job.

"I suppose having a level 3 coaching certificate aids and assisted with the role at Tuskers," Van Eck said. "Having eight years of coaching in the women's space I've been part of the HP environment for five years in an analyst role as well as upskilling myself as a coach.

"Being part of a World Cup final in Malaysia 2025 was one of my biggest highlights. I'm very passionate about what I do and I just want to take the Tuskers team to the next level."

Talking about her upcoming role, Van Eck is looking forward to taking on the challenge.

"I am extremely excited but very grateful as well to add value into the women's space at KZN Inland. The positive aspect is that the Tuskers women and the administration have entrusted me with taking this side to greater heights and I intend on doing so with specific strategic planning.

"I'm really looking forward to having honest conversations and working in an exciting and vibrant team."

Heading into her new role in Pietermaritzburg, Van Eck knows exactly what she wants to do as she moves into a new chapter of her coaching journey.

"I don't want to give too much away, the first step is to create a strong culture that everyone buys into and set out short, medium and long-term goals to attain, in a manner we can be realistic.

"We want to push ourselves out of our comfort zone but overall, we want to create a brand that the people of KZN Inland wants to be associated with."

Speaking about her experience as a coach and how she approaches it, Van Eck focuses on what is important to her when coaching a team.

"Coaching comes with different elements and I couldn't say one is more important than the other. It's about integrating all those elements and finding an identity as a team and lay out a culture.

"There are a few aspects that I'm really big on; a few to mention would be a team first approach, high work ethic, open communication and always wanting to improve.

"Improvement is something I'm highly governed by. Now I've got to sit down with the team and find goals that unify us, and I'm looking to instill a winning culture on and off the field," Van Eck said.