Steve Barker has been named Coach of the Month for February in the NBC Tanzania Premier League after overseeing an upturn in results for Simba SC.
The South African tactician beat competition from Florent Ibenge of Azam FC and Pedro Goncalves of Young Africans S.C. to claim the monthly award.
Barker’s recognition follows a strong run of performances during February, in which Simba secured victories over Kinondoni MC and Tanzania Prisons FC, while also earning a draw against Dodoma Jiji FC.
The results helped Simba climb from sixth to fourth place in the league standings. The club have accumulated 27 points from 12 matches so far this season, improving their position as they look to challenge near the top of the table.
Barker took charge of the club in December 2025, replacing Dimitar Pantev, who was dismissed after a series of poor results.
Since his arrival, the 58-year-old has been tasked with restoring consistency and mounting a serious challenge to Simba’s main rivals, Young Africans, commonly known as Yanga.
In addition to competing for the league title, Barker has also been given the objective of securing domestic cup success as the club seeks to return to winning ways.
While Barker celebrated individual recognition, there was disappointment for fellow South African Rushine De Reuck, who missed out on the Player of the Month award. The honour instead went to Laurindo of Young Africans, whose goal-scoring performances proved decisive during the same period.
Simba will look to build on their recent momentum when they return to action against Pamba Jiji FC on Thursday.
The fixture represents another opportunity for Barker’s side to continue their climb up the table as they pursue their first league title since the 2020/21 season.
With improved performances and growing confidence under their new coach, Simba appear to be regaining form at a crucial stage of the campaign.
