Tsakane games a major boost for women’s football
THE PAST, present and future of South African women’s football will be on full display at Tsakane Stadium on Saturday courtesy of a first-ofits-kind one-day soccer tournament organised by the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation.
Four teams, captained by some of the big names in the local game and made up of legendary former Banyana Banyana players, current Banyana stars and members of the country’s junior national teams as well as stars from the Sasol Gauteng Women’s League, will battle it out for supremacy in the tournament aptly named the Gauteng All Star Games.
South Africa’s leading all-time scorer Portia Modise (Team Portia), current Banyana captain and the country’s most capped female player Janine Van Wyk (Team Janine), former Banyana star and current under 17 national team coach Simphiwe Dludlu (Team Shorty) as well as erstwhile Banyana player Keneilwe Mathibela (Team Maestro) have selected pretty strong teams which they are looking to lead to glory at the weekend.
Old Banyana fans will be pleased to see the likes of Khabo Zitha, Fikile Sithole, Lydia Monyepao and Thokozile Mndaweni in action alongside current stars such as Rachel Sebati, Mamello Makhabane as well as upcoming talent in the likes of Kirsten Nolan, Jessica Wade and Nkamogeleng Tshoke.
Speaking at the launch of the tournament yesterday, Gauteng’s Director General of competitive sports Philasande Muvevi could not contain her excitement at the initiative.
“These games will not only attract the spotlight to women’s football in South Africa and showcase the immense talent that exists but they will also hone the skills of tomorrow’s national team players while improving the lives of those who are vulnerable to poverty.”
While the players will be out to outshine each other and their captains eager to put one over their former national squad teammates, there will also be winners of the field.
The Gauteng All Star Games will be beneficial to the host region thanks to the soccer clinics that will be held in tsakane tomorrow.
The winning team will donate football equipment to a beneficiary team that they would’ve selected to represent,” said tournament Director Moonira Ramathula. “Furthermore, each team will select a charitable organisation of its choice that will receive an equal share of donated goods collected at stadium on the day. The winning team will gift its charity of choice with an extra cash donation.”
The matches will be a one-half game of 45 minutes and will be played from 11am to 4pm. Entrance will be free of charge to all members of the public.