Brainy on and off field

Banyana Banyana are not just clever on the field‚ they are also highly qualified off it‚ with almost all their players either possessing diplomas or degrees‚ or in the process of earning them.

The national women’s team again put their underachieving men’s counterparts in the shade qualifying for next year’s World Cup as brave losing finalists on penalties in the weekend’s Africa Women Cup of Nations (Awcon) against 10-time victors Nigeria.

Banyana – many of whom have studied on bursaries in the US – would surely also make the men’s side blush for their impressive list of academic qualifications.

From a squad list of 32 players who took part in a pre-Awcon training camp at the Pretoria University High Performance Centre, only two don’t have a degree or diploma‚ or are not studying.

One is captain Janine van Wyk‚ who at 31 has her Caf B-licence coaching qualification. Twelve players have degrees and five diplomas. A further 13 are studying.

Rhoda Mulaudzi‚ the Canberra United forward‚ has a diploma in sports management and bachelor of technology degree in business‚ both from Vaal University of Technology. Simphiwe Dludlu‚ who like Mulaudzi was at the pre-Awcon camp but missed the tournament‚ has a bachelor in sports science and her Caf A and B coaching licences‚ and Uefa B licence. Winger Refiloe Jane has a BTech in sports management from Tshwane University of Technology.