A rosy future awaits the Balfour-based ‘Greek Queens’

The future looks even rosier for one of the most talented teams in the provincial Sasol Women’s League in Gauteng.

Balfour-based Croesus Ladies has struck a partnership deal with local football body, Socca Dream, an expert talent identification soccer body with international connections that operates on a multi-dimensional platform in the beautiful game. The body also has ambitions to establish an academy and team that will ply their trade in the Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association.

Socca Dream comprises Aris Albetti, Sduduzo Masuku and Dino Ndlovu, who have played for many teams in the Premier Soccer League, one of which was SuperSport United, and they have been searching and discovering talent all over the country and some parts of Southern Africa since 2008.

Simultaneous with their search for talent, Socca Dreams also often holds to upskill the youngsters and improve their approach to the beautiful game. One such player unearthed is Nthando Mkhwebane from Durban, a left back who will soon jet off to Italy to further his football career.

Socca Dreams also works with one of the most talented coaches in Europe, Roberto Landi, who holds a Euro Pro Coaching Licence. He is the man who gave colourful former Mamelodi Sundowns star forward, Anthony Laffor the captaincy arm band for the Liberian national team.

Speaking in an interview with Alex News to announce Socca Dream’s partnership with Croesus Ladies, Masuku said for years Socca Dream had been dealing with talented young boys but now wanted to bring girls into the limelight as women’s football continued to grow in leaps and bounds.

“Our partnership with Croesus entails scouting for the talented girls within and outside of the team, bringing some of them to Croesus and sending others to clubs abroad to further their careers.

“We want to be a feeder to the Croesus team and help it and its players to grow from strength to strength. Part of that growth and development for the team and players will include securing an affiliate status for Croesus with AC Milan Ladies, and Albetti is hard at work on that project,” Masuku said.

The owner of Croesus Ladies, Maria Athanassouli told Alex News she was thrilled by the partnership deal and news that her team would have a working relationship with one of the biggest teams in the world, AC Milan.

“This is something I never dreamed off in my entire life career in football with this team and I guess it rings true to the phrase, ‘you can never keep a good ‘wo’man down’,” Athanassouli said.

Athanassouli said the partnership was a God send for the girls. “It’s a real soccer dream as they can now go overseas to further their careers if they can make the cut. I have no doubt that my girls are going into safe hands in this partnership, which has always been my worry whenever I have to give my girls to another party.

“To me, these girls are just players playing football but they are like family. I hate it when they fall into bad hands the same way I would worry with my own children.”