South Africa coach Desiree Ellis admits she will have a selection headache ahead of the COSAFA Women’s Championship that is set for September.

Ellis has been running her eye over hopefuls for the regional competition and says it will be tough to whittle down her squad to the required number, and that the potential of her players is huge.

“I think it is limitless because from what I have seen this week the players are all raising their hands,” she said.

“When you are looking into the group of 34 and thinking how do we select the 23 that is needed for the COSAFA CUP, it is a terrible headache.

“You put down names on a paper and move them around and you realise how much talent there is available to us, but that is the challenge you want – if you leave someone out it is not because they are not a good player it is just that the other one is better after you have worked around scenarios, and what-ifs.

“That is why you would select player A ahead of player B. We interacted with their coaches when we gave the players training programmes because at the end of the day it is not only going to benefit us but all clubs.”

South Africa won the first three COSAFA Women’s Championships played, but lost in the final of the last tournament to Zimbabwe in 2011.