From playing cricket on the streets of Cape Town to becoming the Strength and Conditioning Coach for Mumbai Indians Women’s team, Stacey Lee Hercules is living her dream job. 

With experience playing for Western Province U19 girls and Senior Women’s team, Hercules transitioned from the sports field to the classroom, graduating with a Biokinetics Degree from University of Western Cape to effect positive changes in athletes’ lives.

“I loved playing sports which led me to my studying Sport Science, and I still wanted to be part of the game, which I love so much, just in a different capacity after my playing days. As a former player, I realized the necessity for an S&C in a team and what difference it makes to the team in preparation during the off-season and during the season. When I started as an S&C with the Titans Ladies Team in 2017, there were probably only two teams in the country who had a dedicated S&C.”

With women’s teams lacking access to proper training methods, Hercules bridged the gap between local and international players in terms of recovery, utilizing her knowledge to enhance the women’s game. Teaching players that offseason hard work translates to success during the season.

In 2023, Hercules lived out her dream year, serving as the S&C for the South African U-19 Women’s World cup team and joining the Mumbai Indians Franchise for the Inaugural Women’s Premier League in 2023. Being recalled to the MI family in 2024 was a special moment for her.

“To work with such skilled international players exposes not only the S&C, but also all the support staff to the latest training methods and technology which international teams use in their home countries. This newly gained knowledge can be taken back to the teams I work with back home which allows South African teams to keep up to date with the latest best practices around the world.”