Dlamini took route from player to pundit
Not many former Banyana Banyana players find themselves still glued to the game and earning a living out of something they are passionate about.
Former senior national women’s team captain Amanda Dlamini (pictured) played her heart out for Banyana Banyana during her playing days and she is now a football pundit on TV, doing something which is very dear to her heart.
But, it wasn’t all easy for the KwaZulu-Natal born player when she retired from the national team in January 2018 having become one of the most popular players in the Banyana squad and representing South Africa at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.
Dlamini knows the struggle players go through after retiring and says Safa should have opportunities lined up for players when they hang up their boots, but also adds that players must not wait for opportunities to come to them, they should go after what they want.
“I think the biggest task for me after retiring was how was I going to sustain that and how was I going to build myself after retiring. I don’t think people understand how difficult it is, that whole period from being an elite player to becoming jobless,” said Dlamini.
“I think there should be opportunities that are granted by the federation for our former players, but having said that, we can’t expect to be spoonfed. The responsibility and honour is upon ourselves to make ourselves available and acquire as much knowledge as we can for the things we want. I want to be the best analyst ever, so I should be able to go off to the Netherlands, Barcelona, and Manchester to see what it is that they are doing.”
Dlamini was recently announced as the Castle5s female league ambassador, a project aimed at developing the game in the Southern and Western regions of Africa, working alongside the legendary Samuel Eto’o.
The five-a-side competition was launched in 2018 with only the male league. The introduction of the women’s league excites Dlamini, who believes the competition is good for football development for women and it came at the perfect time with Banyana going to their first World Cup finals, to be played in France in June.
“It is a big deal, and it came at the right time when Banyana Banyana have qualified for the World Cup. So we have much more reason to embrace the inclusion of a women’s league in the Africa5s. I think it’s not only about competing, but the social cohesion aspect of it, empowering women to chase their dreams,” she added.
“I think it’s more or less for me bridging the gap of grassroots development. I think if we can bridge that gap we won’t have an Amanda Dlamini who learns the technique of kicking the ball at the age of 27 in the national team, players can also learn tactical aspects of the game in 5-a-side games.”