The coach of Highlandspark Silver Stars Football Club, Mr Owen “Rubberdoll” Da Gama, has been nominated the best coach for the Castle Premiership League in the 2005/6 soccer season. This was announced during the league’s prize-giving ceremony that was held in Johannesburg on Tuesday evening.

Da Gama was awarded with a cheque amounting to R50 000 during the ceremony. His nomination as the best coach for the season came after his scooping the coach of the month award twice in the season. He was the winner for the November 2005 coach of the month award.

As if that was not enough, Da Gama was again selected the best coach for March this year, following his team’s outstanding performance in league matches. During an interview with him, Da Gama was quick to mention that his success is attributed to the support he gets from both the management and players.

According to him, the last memorable achievement he made in life was when he was nominated the best player for the season in Ireland, way back in 1985. Da Gama’s product, Surprise Moriri, the Mamelodi Sundowns’ scoring machine, was nominated both the player of the season and the players’ player of the season.

Moriri, who played for Silver Stars for two years before joining Sundowns, took home a cheque to the value of R160 000. The league champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, were given a cheque amounting to R2,6 million during the glittering ceremony.

Mr Lefty Shivambu, a photographer for the Touchline Media, received the best photographer of the season award during the ceremony. He went home with a cheque to the value of R10 000. During the ceremony, it was announced that the activities for the 2006/7 soccer season will commence in the first week of August.