NOT too long after Banyana Banyana were knocked out of the Rio Olympics, midfielder Refiloe Jane swapped her playing kit for the black gown every university student dreams of putting on.

The 24-year-old graduated at Vaal University of Technology on September 6, after completing her national diploma in sports management.

For someone who had done a lot of travelling with the senior women s national team over the past few years, Jane did extremely well to stay focused on her goal of graduating until she eventually achieved it.

It was an awesome feeling. I felt so proud of myself for making it that far after all these years. I had to sacrifice and manage my time well. My graduation was supposed to be in April, but I could not graduate at the time because we had a AWC (African Women’s Championship) qualifier against Botswana, Jane explained.

When I was in camp, I made sure I studied during rest time and did my assignments. And then when it was time to go back to school, I would write the tests and exams I missed.

I would also talk to my classmates and ask them what chapters they were doing. My one friend [Ziyanda] always kept me updated. Fortunately, my lecturers supported me and understood I was always in camp and representing the school when there.”

In a world where women footballers are paid peanuts, compared to the men, quite a number of Banyana players are taking education seriously. It’s so they have income elsewhere and don’t rely solely on a sport that is letting them down financially. Letago Madiba is at Tshwane University of Technology, Lebogang Mabatle is a student at the University of Pretoria, while Thembi Kgatlana and Leandra Smeda are studying at the University of Western Cape. This shows the Banyana players aren’t prepared to lay around waiting for bags of money to fall from the sky to sponsor a league. It’s encouraging to see that we don’t only rely on football. We want something for ourselves outside the field,” Jane said. It’s very important for soccer players to study because this is a short career. It gets easier if you have something to fall back on when you can no longer play.” Jane appreciates the support she had from her family throughout the time she spent juggling football and school. My family was proud because they knew how hectic it was to be a student and an athlete. They were there with me throughout the journey, and for that, I will always show them how much I appreciate their support. So, what will she do with her sports management diploma? I want to use it to venture into sport science, so I can do biokinetics.”