A dream come true for Esa

There has been of late a keen interest and fan support on local women football and this can mainly be put down to some inspiring performances by women national teams. Bebeto Otlhagile, Thuto Ramafifi, and Nondi Mahlasela are some of the local women football stars who have shone and elevated the standards of the game locally.

Esalenna Galekhutle, the Mexican Girls football club midfield dynamo and a name that is a constant mention when discussing women football, has shown leadership capacity and football skills set to be the next big thing in women football.

Having captained the national under 20 women team during the FIFA Women’s Under- 20 World Cup qualifiers last year, and also making appearances for the senior national team, Galekhutle’s rise to the top is set to take another giant leap in America.

There is a silver lining in every dark cloud, so it is often said; in the midst of a pandemic Galekhutle has headed off to the United States of America as college soccer and scholarships opportunities came calling. For the next four ( 4) years, she will be based in Tyler Junior College, Texas.

“Going to school means so much to me, as soon as I finish my football career this will be my fall back. Even though we are most passionate about football, we should always know that there are other important things in life, one of them is education.” The move was engineered by Footballers Union of Botswana ( FUB), Esa as commonly known by legions, expressed her gratitude to the Union. Last year, the Union signed a memorandum of agreement with Botho University to conduct scholarship programmes for local players, which includes 5 academic scholarships from certificate level to Masters Degree level.

“It is a good initiative by footballers Union to present footballers with this kind of opportunities. It is special, it means so much, and it is not everyone who gets this opportunity, especially in these trying times. It has always been a dream to explore being outside the country, here I am- getting to live the dream and getting the most out of it,” beaming Esa shared. The talented attacker appreciated the support from her parents. In a male dominated industry, young girls are in most cases discouraged to play football by their parents, but as women football continues to grow, Galekhutle’s parents were well aware that, their daughter’s passion could turn to be a story of greatness. “If your child is passionate about sports, like football, it is a good thing because football or sports in general teaches and instils discipline. It has not been difficult, we have prepared for a long time knowing that one day, she will go abroad, be it for academics or football, we have been saving.” Botsile Galekhutle, Esalenna’s father stated.

He further urged parents to be supportive to their young ones and allow children to choose the sport they are passionate about. “It is a good thing for parents, coaches and the community at large to support these players and prepare them for life after football. It is a good thing that she is going to play football and at the same time pursue a career outside football. You don’t do sports and neglect academics,” FUB president Onalethata Tshekiso shared as he bid farewell to Galekhutle.

Having met Galekhutle since she was 16, founder and coach of Mexican Girls football Club, Oaitse Moeti said parental support and patience are key in producing talents like Galekhutle. He further revealed that so many challenges are still proving to be a stumbling block in promoting a girl child to play football.

Moeti said, “Most female football teams are facing challenges in that society is yet to accept that women can play football, just because football is a male dominated sport. We are still battling to change the mindsets of parents to allow their children to play football.”