All systems go for the first of its kind women soccer tournament

Nie Cele

Trailblazing one day women local soccer tournament will be on display at the Tsakane Stadium in Boksburg this weekend , thanks to Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation.

At a recent launch held in Germiston organisers told the media that past present and future women Footballers are expected to lock horns against each other on the day.

The tournament is expected to feature Banyana Banyana current captain, Janine van Wyk, along with  Portia Modise,Keneilwe Mathibela and Simphiwe Dludlu, who are all proud Banyana Banyana alumni.

Entrance for the tournament is free and soccer lovers are urged to come in droves and support these outstanding women who will deliver spectacular football.

SAFA Technical Director of Women’s Football, Fran Hilton-Smith, told the media that football like these makes women football grow in leaps and bounds.

“We hope this tourney will expand in future and bring more players into the game.”

During the launch Philasande Muvevi, Director of Competitive Sports at the Provincial department told this publication she was happy to gather the right stakeholders for any girl child to perform at the highest level.

“One of our priority programmes in Gauteng is women’s sport including football and as the Home of Champions and Sporting Excellence, we are proud and excited to be part of this groundbreaking initiative. It is the first of its kind, aimed at uplifting women’s football and empowering women in sport. With Banyana Banyana going to the FIFA WoRLD Cup later this year, we hope this will inspire up and coming talent and elevate the sport to new heights.”

Tournament Director, Moonira Ramathula also hailed the tournament as a great initiative.

“The concept was designed before Banyana Banyana qualified for the upcoming World Cup. This shows how much confidence we have on them.”

Referring to the integration of a  pool of talent of young footballers from the lower divisions of women’s football playing alongside their FIFA women’s World Cup bound seniors, She said, “The positive twist is that this time around the ground won’t suffer when the giants clash. In fact it will be nurtured.”

Ramathula also revealed that each team will comprise a squad of playmakers that will include current players in the Senior National Team (Banyana Banyana), players in the u20 National Team (Basetsana), players in the u17 National Team (Bantwana), players in the Sasol Gauteng Women’s League and Banyana Banyana Legends.

“This will give up and coming players the opportunity to learn from the experienced players while honing their skills on the field of play. The most important objective of this tournament is that women’s football will be put in the spotlight. It will be an exhibition of the talent we posses in women ‘s football and give more reason why it should b supported by communities, government and private sectors,” Ramathula argued.

DID YOU KNOW ?

• The following teams will play in a round robin format with each team playing two matches.
• Team Janine.
• Team Portia.
• Team Maestro.
• Team Shorty.
• In the spirit of true sportsmanship, the Gauteng All Star Games will have a philanthropic aspect to it.
• The winning team will donate football equipment to a beneficiary school of their choice .