Banyana legend Modise urges Chippa United to establish a women’s team
Banyana Banyana record goalscorer Portia Modise has urged the Eastern Cape’s lone PSL side, Chippa United, to juggle many balls and add another to the mix in establishing a women’s team.
Modise was speaking on the sidelines of a tournament organised by the ANC in the Eastern Cape and hosted at the Buffalo City Stadium at the weekend.
Modise, who has 101 goals under her name for Banyana, was joined by other SA soccer royalty in the form of Kaizer Chiefs legends Doctor Khumalo, Cyril Nzama and fanfavourite Jabu Pule, as well as former Orlando Pirates captain Lucky Lekgwathi.
The event, spearheaded by ANC provincial elections team co-ordinator Nanziwe Rulashe, saw hundreds of athletes compete in soccer, rugby, netball and pool.
The legends together with the ANC donated sports kits and total prize money of R70,000 across all the sporting codes, and two players were invited to join the Chippa United reserves team following good performances throughout the weekend.
Modise said she was impressed by the standard of football showcased at the tournament, but felt the Eastern Cape’s lone PSL team could do more.
And it should invest in women’s football as well.
“Chippa is showing the community that it is possible that the Eastern Cape can have teams in the PSL,” she said.
“The community has to support Chippa, not other teams.
“If the public support their home team that means Chippa will be able to create other opportunities and put in more resources.
“But with that said, I have put my head on the block and have [told] the Chippa chair that they need to involve women because there is talent in the province.
“He has done a lot for the province, but he is forgetting women.
“The women’s game is growing but we need more PSL teams to invest to ensure more growth.”
Mamelodi Sundowns, TS Galaxy and Royal AM are the only Dstv Premiership clubs who have women’s teams playing in the Hollywoodbets Super League, while Supersport are in a partnership with Tshwane University of Technology to create TUT Matsatsantsa Ladies.
Kaizer Chiefs are another top-flight side who expressed an interest in forming a women’s division within the club.
Thunderbirds Ladies, Fort Hare and City Lads are the only three teams representing the province in the Hollywoodbets Super League while the majority of the Eastern Cape teams are in the Sasol League.
With Safa stating in 2023 that all PSL clubs must be compelled to have a women’s team come 2030, Chippa chair Siviwe Mpengesi indicated the club was working flat-out on getting the first professional women’s team for the province.
Mpengesi said at the time that the team was going to be based in Buffalo City.
“We are already planning that and the idea we have is to have that team based in the Buffalo City municipality,” he said in February.
“We will soon announce that after we have reached the advanced stage because we are still working out the details.”