![]() | |
Founded | 2019 |
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Country | ![]() |
Confederation | CAF |
Number of teams | 16 |
Level on pyramid | 1 |
Relegation to | Sasol Women’s League |
International cup(s) | COSAFA Women's Champions League |
Current champions | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies (6th title) (2023) |
Most championships | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies (6 titles ) |
TV partners | SABC1 SABC Sport |
Website | safa.net |
Current: 2024 SAFA W-League |
The SAFA Women's League, known as Hollywoodbets Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the top flight of women's association football in South Africa. The competition is run by the South African Football Association. [1] The league comprises 16 (originally 12) teams which won promotion from their respective Sasol Women's Provincial League divisions. The champion now earns entry into the COSAFA Women's Champions League. [2]
Prior to the formation of the SAFA Women's League in 2019, a series of predecessor competitions crowned an annual national women's champion club for South Africa.
Women's football started in 1976 by founding an Inter-Provincial Championship until 1990. Natal United FC have a record of 9 championships. [3]
From 2001 until 2009, a series of championships were organized by SAFA between the champion of each SAFA Region or province. In 2001-2002 this was known as the Sanlam National Women's Championship [4] and involved champions of SAFA's then-25 regions. [5] In 2005-06, the national playoffs were known as the Vodacom Women's League. [6] In 2008-09, this event was replaced by the Absa Women's League, which later became SAFA's regional league (sub-provincial).
The Sasol Women's League is a provincial women's football league which was formed in 2009 when Sasol and the South African Football Association (SAFA) went into partnership for women's football in South Africa. The league runs separate leagues for each of the nine provinces, and brings their champions together to play the National Championship, and its winner is promoted to the SAFA Women's League. [7] Following the formation of the SAFA Women's League, the Sasol League became its second-tier / feeder league and no longer crowned the national champion.
Following rumors as early as 2017 [8] of SAFA establishing a professional women's league, the association indeed announced the formation of the SAFA Women's National League in August 2019. [9] The new league replaced the previous inter-regional play (which had been limited only to the national championship tournament) with a national double-round-robin league of the country's top clubs. The league's first season was played in 2019-20, and began with the previous season's respective provincial champions, plus two women's affiliates of PSL clubs and the university league champion, as the initial 12 members. [10] The initial season's start date was pushed back to August 2019 in order to accommodate Banyana Banyana's participation at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. [11] In the first two seasons, there was no relegation: 2 teams were promoted to make 14 in 2020, and another 2 were promoted to make 16 in 2021, with relegation then beginning in the 2022 season.
The list of champions and runners-up: [12]
Year | Champions | Runners-up |
---|---|---|
2009 | Detroit Ladies | Palace Super Falcons |
2010 | Palace Super Falcons | Detroit Ladies |
2011 | Palace Super Falcons | Brazilians Ladies |
2012 | Palace Super Falcons | Cape Town Roses |
2013 | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | Ma-Indies Ladies |
2014 | Cape Town Roses | Palace Super Falcons |
2015 | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | Cape Town Roses |
2016 | Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies | JVW |
2017 | Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies | Cape Town Roses |
2018 | TUT Ladies | Durban Ladies |
2019 | JVW FC | Ma-Indies Ladies |
2020 | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | TUT Ladies |
2021 | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | UWC Ladies |
2022 | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | UWC Ladies |
2023 | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | UWC Ladies |
2024 |
Rank | Club | Champions | Runners-up | Winning Seasons | Runners-up Seasons |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mamelodi Sundowns | 6 | 0 | 2013, 2015, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 | |
2 | Palace Super Falcons | 3 | 2 | 2010, 2011, 2012 | 2009, 2014 |
3 | Bloemfontein Celtic | 2 | 0 | 2016, 2017 | |
4 | Cape Town Roses | 1 | 3 | 2014 | 2012, 2015, 2017 |
5 | Detroit Ladies | 1 | 1 | 2009 | 2010 |
TUT Ladies | 1 | 1 | 2018 | 2020 | |
JVW | 1 | 1 | 2019 | 2016 | |
8 | UWC Ladies | 0 | 3 | 2021, 2022, 2023 | |
9 | Ma-Indies Ladies | 0 | 2 | 2013, 2019 | |
10 | Brazilians Ladies | 0 | 1 | 2011 | |
Durban Ladies | 0 | 1 | 2018 |
During the beginning of the 2021–22 season, South African Football Association announced that they secured a naming-rights deal with Hollywoodbets. [13] [14] The deal is worth about R17 million, with the winner receiving R2 million while runners up receive R1 million. They also sponsor the awards at the end of the season, giving away prize money of R50,000 to the player of the season, young player of the season, coach of the season as well as top goal score. The deal is set to be a 3-year deal. [15] [16]
SABC are currently the only broadcaster for SAFA Women's League. They broadcaster matches throughout their three channels: SABC 1, SABC 3 and SABC Sport. They only broadcast two matches during the weekend.
A list of the teams that took part in the inaugural SAFA Women's League: [17]
Bold entries are participating in the current season
Team | Province |
Thunderbirds Ladies | Eastern Cape |
Bloemfontein Celtics Ladies | Free State |
Tsunami Queens | |
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | Gauteng |
TUT Ladies | |
UJ Ladies | |
Durban Ladies | Kwa-Zulu Natal |
First Touch | Limpopo |
Coal City Wizards | Mpumalanga |
Richmond United | Northern Cape |
Golden Ladies | North West |
UWC Ladies | Western Cape |
Women's soccer began in South Africa during the 1960s and gained popularity in the 1990s, when the first national women's team was formed.
Amanda Sinegugu Dlamini is a former South African soccer player who is currently a soccer analyst and football administrator. She represented the South Africa women's national team at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.
Andisiwe “Gudluza” Mgcoyi is a South African soccer player and coach who plays as a forward for SAFA Women's League club Mamelodi Sundowns and the South African women's national team. She represented the South African women's national soccer team at the 2012 London Olympics.
Desiree Ellis is a South African soccer manager and former player. She currently coaches the South Africa women's national team.
Andile ‘Sticks’ Dlamini is a South African soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for SAFA Women's League club Mamelodi Sundowns and the South Africa women's national team.
Lebogang Ester Ramalepe is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a defender for SAFA Women's League club Mamelodi Sundowns and the South Africa women's national team.
JVW F.C. is a women's professional soccer club based in Bedfordview, Gauteng. The team competes in the SAFA Women's League, the top tier women's football league in South Africa
Bambanani Nolufefe Mbane is a South African soccer player who plays as a defender for SAFA Women's League club Mamelodi Sundowns and the South Africa women's national team.
Melinda Kgadiete is a South African professional soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for SAFA Women's League club Mamelodi Sundowns and the South African women's national team.
Letago Madiba is a South African soccer player who plays as a forward for Fatih Vatan Spor in the Turkish Women's Super League. She has been a member of the South Africa women's national team.
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies F.C. is a women's professional soccer club based in Pretoria, South Africa. The team competes in the SAFA Women's League, the top tier women's football league in South Africa. They are the most successful women's team in South Africa with six titles. The team, together with the men's team are owned by Patrice Motsepe.
The 2022 SAFA Women's League was the 3rd season of the fully-professional SAFA Women's League, and the 14th season of nation-wide league competition in women's club football in South Africa.
The 2021 SAFA Women's League was the 2nd season of the fully-professional SAFA Women's League, and the 13th season of nation-wide league competition in women's club football in South Africa.
Agnes Thandiwe Nkosi is South African professional football manager and former player who is the current assistant coach of the SAFA Women's League side Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies.
The Tshwane University of Technology Women's F.C., also knowns as TUT Ladies F.C. or TUT Matsatsantsa, is the football club representing the Tshwane University of Technology based in Pretoria, Gauteng. The senior team competes in the SAFA Women's League, the top tier women's football league in South Africa.
Nonhlanhla Mthandi is a South African professional soccer player and football freestyler who plays as a midfielder for SAFA Women's League club Mamelodi Sundowns and the South African women's national team.
Regirl Makhaukane Ngobeni is a South African teacher and soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for SAFA Women's League side the University of the Western Cape and the South Africa women's national team.
Yolula Tsawe is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for SAFA Women's League side TS Galaxy Queens and the South Africa women's national team.
Lindelani Ladies F.C. is a South African women's soccer club based in Ntuzuma, KwaZulu-Natal. The team competes in the SAFA Women's League, the top tier women's football league in South Africa.
Lesego Nkoane is a South African soccer player who plays as a defender for SAFA Women's League club TS Galaxy Queens and the South Africa women's national team.