Gavin Hunt has been appointed as the new head coach of Kaizer Chiefs. The Cape Town-born mentor will start his job immediately and his contract will see him take charge of Amakhosi’s first team for the next three seasons.

Hunt brings a wealth of experience since he joined professional football in 1981. The former defender spent most of his playing career at Hellenic FC, for 13 years. He went straight into coaching after hanging up his boots in 1994.

Hunt has an impressive CV and a glittering coaching career, including his first accolade as a coach, having promoted Seven Stars from the First Division Coastal Stream to the elite league. His other accolades include winning the PSL Coach of the Season on five occasions. He has also won the league championship four times with two different teams and has several domestic cup competitions under his belt.

“We looked at our situation and our needs before deciding on Gavin,” confirms Chairman Kaizer Motaung. “He brings with him an abundance of experience, having coached about fives teams in the Premiership. There is success wherever he has coached.

“Given that the Covid-19 epidemic has forced us to finish the season in the bio-bubble and that the squad will only rest for two weeks before the players return for pre-season, we needed a coach who understands the local market and conditions. We believe that with Hunt we have brought in a person with the right experience and energy to do just that,” the Chairman explains the club’s choice of the new coach.

Having won the league on four occasions and qualifying for the CAF Champions League, Hunt comes with the necessary experience that will be required as Amakhosi will participate in the African club competition in the new season after finishing second in the domestic league.

“Playing on the continent is key for us as we haven’t done as well as we should have,” Motaung continues. “We have players who have participated in the competition and this experience should certainly be to our advantage.

“The other thing I have always emphasised is the need for coaches to equip themselves with the requisite knowledge. The game has changed and become much more scientific”, says Motaung as he concludes. “We know Gavin always endeavours to learn more about the game by attending courses both locally and overseas. This knowledge will come in handy to guide our team. We are looking forward to him sharing his experience with the team.”

The announcement of the new assistant coach will be made in due course.

Hunt will meet the team for the first time next week when the squad returns to training in preparation of the 2020/21 season.