Women's soccer in South Africa | |
---|---|
Country | South Africa |
Governing body | South African Football Association |
National team(s) | Women's national team Women's U/17 team |
Nickname(s) | Banyana Banyana (senior national team) Basetsana (U/20) Bantwana (U/17) |
Clubs | 160 |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
International competitions | |
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. [1] [2]
South African women's soccer started in 1960 during the Apartheid era. Orlando Pirates Women's Football Club and Mother City Girls were among the first women's soccer clubs formed in 1962. [3]
Sanlam National Women's Football League was set up in the late 1990s with the goal of increasing the number of women in soccer administration and a second season was played in 2002. [4]
In 2009, a semi-professional women’s football league the Sasol Women's League was established with the aim of developing the women's game. [5]
In 2012, then Minister of Sports and recreation, Fikile Mbalula, called for the creation of a women's football league after the national women's football team, Banyana Banyana, returned from the 2012 Olympic Games defeated. [6]
In August 2019, the inaugural SAFA Women's National League was launched. [7] The following teams formed part of the 12 team league. They consisted of the nine provincial winners that took part in the 2018 Sasol League National Championship and three teams invited to join the league.
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 |
*invited teams
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies won the inaugural season undefeated with 21 wins and 1 draw.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies (C) | 22 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 83 | 13 | +70 | 64 | Champions League |
2 | TUT Ladies | 22 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 83 | 26 | +57 | 55 | |
3 | Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 55 | 25 | +30 | 44 | |
4 | First Touch | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 54 | 44 | +10 | 36 | |
5 | Coal City Wizards | 22 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 38 | 38 | 0 | 32 | |
6 | UWC Ladies | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 46 | 27 | +19 | 30 | |
7 | Durban Ladies | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 32 | 52 | −20 | 26 | |
8 | UJ Ladies | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 35 | 57 | −22 | 26 | |
9 | Golden Ladies | 22 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 25 | 45 | −20 | 17 | |
10 | Thunderbirds Ladies | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 29 | 63 | −34 | 16 | |
11 | Richmond United | 22 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 24 | 69 | −45 | 14 | |
12 | Tsunami Queens | 22 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 21 | 66 | −45 | 10 |
(C) Champion
A copy of the match results of the inaugural season. [8]
SAFA announced its provincial members would be setting up girls youth leagues around the country in order to improve girls soccer in the country as the youth national teams were struggling. By 2024, Basetsana had not qualified for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and Bantwana had last qualified in 2018. The U/15 Girls Inter-LFA League was launched in 2023 in the Limpopo province. [9] In the Gauteng province, the Gauteng Women's Development League was launched with the inaugural season being an U/15 league only. In 2024, the league had switched to two divisions for U/16 and U/14 girls. [10]
South Africa women's national football team, nicknamed "Banyana Banyana" has been participating in international soccer since 1993, when they beat Swaziland 14–0 on 30 May of that year. This is their biggest win to date. [11]
South Africa women's national under-20 team, is nicknamed "Basetsana".
South Africa women's national under-17 soccer team, nicknamed "Bantwana".
The teams are controlled by the South African Football Association.
They have been competing in the CAF Women's Championship since 1995. They qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time at the 2012 Olympic Games. [12] Banyana Banyana won their first Women's Africa Cup of Nations, where they defeated hosts Morocco 2-1 in the final. [13] [14]
Banyana Banyana made their FIFA Women's World Cup debut in 2019. At the 2023 edition, they became the first South African team to qualify for the knockout stages at a world cup by reaching the round of 16. [15]
Bantwana made their FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup debut in 2010. Bantwana made their second appearance at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. They have not made it past the group stages on the tournament.
Bantwana hold the African record for most goals in an international match. They scored 28 goals (won 28-0) against Seychelles in the opening match of group B at the 2019 COSAFA U-17 Women's Championship. [16]
The South African Football Association is the national administrative governing body that controls the sport of football in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and is a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). SAFA established in 1991. The South African Football Association is the second Football Association in South Africa to be named the South African Football Association and it is also the second football association in South Africa to affiliate to FIFA. The present day South African Football Association, unlike its predecessor allows for a mixed-race national team.
Janine van Wyk is a South African former professional soccer player who played as a defender for her own club JVW and captained the South Africa women's national team. She is the highest capped player in South Africa with 185 appearances, and highest capped player in CAF.
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.
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.
Simphiwe Mendy Dludlu is South African professional soccer manager and former player. Dludlu is the former head coach of the South African women's national U/17. She led the team to their second FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup qualification in 2018 which was hosted in Uruguay.
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
Linda Maserame Motlhalo is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Racing Louisville and the South Africa women's national team. She is also known as the 'Randfontein Ronaldinho'.
The South Africa U-17 women's national football team, nicknamed Bantwana, is a youth football (soccer) team, which represents South Africa and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. The team's main objective is to qualify and play at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and develop players for the main national team Banyana Banyana.
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.
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. The league comprises 16 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.
Nicole Lauren Michael is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a forward for SAFA Women's League club TS Galaxy Queens and the South Africa women's national team.
Sphumelele Shamase is a South African soccer player who plays as a midfielder for SAFA Women's League club UJ Ladies F.C. and the South Africa women's national team.
Thubelihle Shamase is a South African soccer player who plays as a midfielder for A Lyga side FC Gintra and the South Africa women's national team.
Nthabeleng Modiko is South African professional soccer manager and former player. She is the current head coach of the South African women's national U/17 and UJ Ladies. She's a former Banyana Banyana captain.
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 Western Cape and the South Africa women's national team.
Nomathemba "Lanka" Ntsibande is a South African soccer player who plays as a defender for SAFA Women's League side JVW F.C. 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.
The Gauteng Women's Development League is a regional girls soccer league in Gauteng. The league is ran by SAFA Gauteng, and features U/14 and U/16 teams from the Local Football Associations (LFAs) that are under SAFA Gauteng.
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies C, commonly known as Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies academy or Mamelodi Sundowns U/16 and U/14 is a women's soccer club based in Pretoria, South Africa.The team competes in the Gauteng Women's Development League, the Gauteng regional women's football league for U/14 and U/16 teams in the province. It is the academy team of Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies.
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