An appearance by the Temple Boys during Saturday’s inaugural UWC She-Bobo junior girls under-8 and under-10 soccer festival briefly interrupted the proceedings but once the music stopped, it was game on.
Cape Town’s current musical flavour of the moment provided just the kind of energy needed on the pitch where the real stars of the day put up a performance of their own.
With 280 junior players representing 12 community clubs from across the city, She-Bobo presented an ideal opportunity for the little ones to display their skill and for young coaches to sprout a few unwanted grey hairs. Teams from Bellville to Blikkiesdorp and Salt River to Southfield took to the field, but ultimately it was Khayelitsha’s RV United who won the under-10 division and Gugulethu’s Cape Town Roses the under-8 section. Saturday’s action kick-started the launch of a league catering for young girls.
And, with coaches barking instructions from the sidelines, some of their charges did their own thing, often to good effect, while others moved the ball around with the deft touch of a more experienced player.
Heideveld Female Football Academy’s under-8 mentor, Carl Swain, says Saturday’s footballing festivities and similar initiatives will go a long way to promote the game among young girls. The academy, he said, uses football as a vehicle to build self-confidence and to combat social ills and prejudices, including gender-based violence.
“There aren’t a lot who show interest in women’s football and it is highly neglected, some saying that it’s not as competitive as men’s soccer which shows gender discrimination and inequality,” said Swain, who took an interest in coaching the youngsters thanks to a niece who showed some interest in the game.
“It is important to let them know that they should not think of themselves as lesser than boys, they should see themselves as equals because with that mentality comes confidence that many young girls are lacking, and it makes them doubt themselves and their abilities, both on and off the pitch,” he said.
“Young girls and young women are the jewels of the future, so I think that we as coaches should try to do our best to guide and protect our precious jewels so that one day everyone can see their true beauty, both on and off the pitch. I believe that everyone deserves a chance and that more interest should be shown in the development of our future Banyana Banyana stars,” he said.
RV United coach, Sakhumzi Nofili Nofili, said they faced a number of challenges in preparing their squad for the festival and had to train on a gravel patch as the artificial pitch they normally use was vandalised, which made being crowned inaugural champions even more special.
“It is important to give young girls an opportunity to play football, because we want to develop and see growth in women’s football. Each and every year women’s football is developing, girls are getting more interested in the game. I think the organisers came up with a brilliant idea of introducing the girls festival. It is helping us as clubs to lay a foundation’, so we can develop them through the youth ranks until the senior team level. Now under-8 and 10 girls have a platform to showcase their talent and enjoyment of football,” he said.
“I was so happy our under-10s won because it shows we didn’t give up even though we didn’t have a proper field.”
UWC media and marketing manager and league co-ordinator, Gasant Abader, said Saturday’s event exceeded all expectations.
“The She-Bobo at UWC Football Festival could not have been a bigger success. The players and their clubs were the real stars and for the first time ever in South Africa there was a junior football event for girls under the age of 10.
Abader thanked all those who helped to make the day a success, including the scores of volunteers and University of the Western Cape staff, the sponsors and partners and of course, the coaches and squads who turned up on the day.
“Seeing the smiles on the faces of the little girls was the most rewarding thing for all of us,” he said.
“The University of the Western Cape is something of a hub for women’s football in South Africa. More than half of the Banyana side that won the Women’s AFCON comes from this university. Our women’s football team competes in the Hollywood Bets League and won Varsity Football last season, finishing runners- up this season.
“The university thus makes the perfect partner for the grassroots development of the women’s game at junior level. There are few opportunities for girls to compete in under-8 and under-10 in the Cape. We want to take the journey with them right into adulthood and enrol to study for a career of their choice at UWC and play at the highest levels,” said Abader.
• Cape Community Newspapers, which publishes this title, is the print media partner of She-Bobo at UWC.
