Coaches

Liz Mackenzie – Head Coach & Founder

Qualifications: WSF Level 2 Coach | WSF Course Manager (Africa) | BA Phys Ed (UP) | HDE (UKZN)

Liz is the founder and driver behind the World of Squash programme. With over 30 years of elite coaching experience across the globe, her enduring legacy is her  ability to develop athletes from “Green to Gold”—taking players from absolute beginners all the way to representing South Africa as Proteas.

Her passion for the game started in the mid-1970s when she picked up a racquet in high school. Liz quickly rose through the ranks, representing Northern Transvaal and Natal in numerous prestigious Jarvis and Kaplan Cup Inter-Provincial Tournaments.

After earning her BA in Physical Education from the University of Pretoria and a Higher Diploma in Education from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, she travelled internationally, gaining invaluable playing and coaching insights in Israel, Switzerland, and the USA.

Though a serious car accident prematurely cut her competitive playing days short, Liz channeled her energy, educational background, and love for the game into coaching and sports administration. Today, she is widely recognized as one of the most influential figures in African junior squash development.

Roles & Impact

• Serves as the Convenor of Squash South Africa’s coaching panel and the Northerns Provincial Head Coach—both vital pillars in Squash SA’s “Pathway to High Performance.”

• As the World Squash Federation (WSF) Course Manager for Africa, Liz leads the Coach Education Programme across the continent, training and qualifying next-generation tutors and coaches in nations like Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Malawi.

• In addition to anchoring World of Squash, she is the Head Coach for both the powerhouse TuksSquash junior program and the Menlopark Muurbal Akademie (MMA).

“My absolute joy is watching an 8-year-old step onto the court for the very first time, guiding them through the graduated stages of athletic development, and watching them lift national trophies a few years later.” — Liz Mackenzie

ALEX VERHAGE – WSF LEVEL 1 and mini-SQUASH SPECIALIST

Alex has been involved in squash as a player, coach, and administrator for most of her life. Moving over from tennis at high school, she represented Northerns at a junior level and until recently still actively played in the NSA Women’s league. Once her sons started enjoying the game, Alex got involved in coaching again. She has done exceptionally well with start-up programs and can motivate beginners to start playing the game, helping them to reach a reasonable standard where they can start competing on the Provincial circuit.

Alex is also the backbone to the administration involved in World of Squash and is the office keeper when World of Squash is running Camps and National Academies.

MENANTO MALAN – SQUASHSA LEVEL 1/ WSF LEVEL 2 CANDIDATE

STUDENT COACHING ASSISTANTS