I’ll only believe it when I see it

Thomas Kwenaite: Looking back at the World Cup tournament Down Under, how would you summarise the event?

Nomvula Kgoale:

Thereare so many thoughts and emotions that are going through my head as I speak, but it was a rollercoaster. If you remember, the first game against Sweden we lost 2-1, but we also felt we could have pulled a draw. In my opinion, it was the most difficult game compared to the other games. The second game was against Argentina – we were 2-0 up and we thought we could pull a win there, but again, we let it slip out of our hands, and in that particular game, the only emotion I felt was anger. I felt that we were supposed to win that game, but that was not the case. The third game was against Italy, we had to pull a magic win because we needed it in order to go through to the Round of 16. We really believed that we could and that’s what we did. In the knockout against the Netherlands, that was a game we should have won, especially in the first half because we got so many scoring chances! But we never capitalised. However, with experience, I think it’s one of those games that are mystical, they will forever be engrained in our minds and in our heart. For sure the highlight of my career.

TK: Has the tournament changed your personal and family life?

NK:

No, I wouldn’t say the World Cup has changed my personal life and my family life because nothing has been different ever since, except my own career in terms of football. I don’t look at both the same way.

TK: The Tsakane chaos prior to departure, how much did that incident affect the team’s preparations?

NK:

I wouldn’t even say ‘chaos’ because we have been talking to the CEO (Lydia Monyepao), the President (Danny Jordaan) about our grievances, but I don’t know what happened. Our matters were not listened to, so we had to do what we had to do on that day because it’s not that we decided on that very day that we will not participate in the international match. But in all honesty, it didn’t affect the preparations because we had been working hard all these months leading up to the tournament and it was only one day where everything just seemed off. Later that night, everything was solved and we were able to go to the World Cup.

TK: Was that unfortunate incident, in retrospect, also one of the things that motivated the team to prove itself in Australia/New Zealand?

NK:

No, we always set our goals before every tournament, sometimes even six months ahead. We know where we want to go, we know what we want to achieve and the fact that we wanted to go through has always been there from the time we qualified for the U17 World Cup. It has always been a mission that we want to accomplish from years ago. So, when the moment came, we knew that we had to deliver. Nothing else was going to stop us.

TK: Personally, how was the experience?

NK:

Personally, playing in the World Cup is something that I cannot put into words because it’s such a grand stage. There isn’t anything else beyond that, right? And this reminds me of a quote, I forget the author, but it goes: “Experiencing God, it’s like those who know, those who know what it feels like to know God, no experience is necessary, and those who do now, none is possible .... ” So, something like playing at the World Cup makes me feel this way. I cannot simply make you understand or explain because you can only know it by experiencing it. Even if I try, it’s not possible!

TK: What did you learn? NK:

Not being able to look at myself the same way. Every experience and every challenge offers the opportunity to discover a deeper meaning to life, so even in my case, I may take what I’ve picked up from the World Cup and apply it outside my life. I’ve learned attributes that I never thought were there. They certainly made me stronger, wiser, you know… you name it. I am more courageous now, I’m thoughtful in so many things .... even to think before I speak. I look at sport in general, I look at life differently. It’s almost like it has opened a different door for me where I can be able to look at it and be in awe. It’s a new experience. The door has just opened. I’m yet to discover some of the things that the

Nomvula Kgoale sprang to prominence during the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations tournament, which South Africa won in Morocco to become champions of the continent. She endorsed her feminism by always applying bright red lipstick throughout the tournament and by the time it ended, she was dubbed “Lipstick Lady”! The Zebediela-born star has become an integral part of D esiree Ellis’ team, who defied the odds to advance to the knockout stages of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. In this interview, she reveals to Soccer Laduma’s Thomas Kwenaite what lessons she learnt from the global showpiece, shares her views on the welcome growth of women’s football in Mzansi. Kgoale also explains why she chose TS Galaxy to pursue her career locally following stints in Spain and the United States.

World Cup has taught me because I’m trying to still lean onto that space.

TK: Now that it’s back to the grind, your team TS Galaxy is third on the Hollywoodbets Super League log table. Not bad at all hey?

NK:

Absolutely right, it’s back to the grind at TS Galaxy. That’s a new team that took off this year. Everything is progressing slowly but surely. We have all the players with the quality that we need to mount a serious challenge in the Hollywoodbets Super League. But the work is not yet done, there is still a long way to go.

TK: What attracted you to the club? NK:

What attracted me to TS Galaxy was the owner Tim Sukazi’s interest in doing what we know the other big teams should be doing. And not only big teams, but all other male Premier League teams that are more than capable to manage or form another system where they would be able to take care of young women footballers. So, when he decided to form a new team, I thought it was a great way to start off his team and to put it in a position where they can also attract other excellent women footballers to join his team. That way, they would see the amount of quality he has in his team.

TK: The Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa, recently hinted that women’s football needs to be professionalised. Your feelings on that?

NK:

Personally, it has been talked about for so many years that women’s football needs to be professionalised, but at this point, I am going to reserve my comments and will only believe it when I see it practically happening. I’ve heard it mentioned so many times that I don’t believe anything they say about the intention anymore.

TK: Do you think the establishment of Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs female teams would enhance the stature of the Hollywoodbets Super League?

NK:

Yes, I really do think that if Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs would establish women’s teams, it would transform everything about women’s football locally because those are huge brands in the country and across Africa. In fact, it’s almost something that every single girl in South Africa right now – at least those that are in the Hollywoodbets Super League – is anticipating. But we haven’t seen anything happening and, again, it’s just talk. Until they practically do something, that will be only time that I would believe it.

TK: You’ve played in Spain before. What are your views about the kissing incident involving the Spanish FA President and one of their women’s national team players?

NK:

The kissing incident involving Jennifer Hermoso and the Spanish FA President, Luis Rubiales, I can’t really comment much on it because I sincerely don’t know the intentions of the President. I don’t know the kind of relationship that he has with the players. I don’t even know how that made Hermoso feel. I don’t know the atmosphere because I’m always cautious with what’s happening in the media. Like, we as people from outside that are seeing things that are happening may view things differently from those who view things from inside the environment.

TK: The USA is another country you’ve plied your trade, as well as studied, in. We realize that most female footballers value education highly compared to their male counterparts.

NK:

Yes, I have played and studied in the USA and have thankfully graduated in Geographical Information Science. Indeed, as female footballers, we do value education highly because it’s simple: We are not paid enough to make a living out of the game, whereas our male counterparts can play, say, for 10 or even five years and make enough money in order to make a living if they use their funds properly. So, there is a huge gap in terms of we know that we are not being paid well and the money that we make cannot sustain us for the rest of our lives or for a longer period of time, so we opt to navigate towards education. That is so that we are able to secure full-time jobs on the side, or even after football. We need that more than our male counterparts.

TK: Your BA degree in Geographical Information Science, what’s it all about?

NK:

GIS is all about capturing data from the real world and storing it on software, analysing it and manipulating it, and using it in order to make decisions in the real world. It’s technological advancement in terms of making decisions in the real world and finding solutions. I think this is a field that is continuously expanding. From the time I graduated during 2019, they may have also developed other software where different things can happen. There is also coding involved. So, there is a whole lot more that I also think I’ve missed ever since I moved over to the world of sports. There are always things to discover in that field and that’s why it’s exciting for me. It’s never stagnant. In just one side, it’s always seeking to enter into different parts of the world and it’s also applicable in town planning, drainage systems etc. It’s a good field, particularly in South Africa, where we need it the most, and I think we can actually improve in that field.

Oh, you are most welcome!