A talented Alex female footballer has dribbled her way from the dusty streets to the footballing Mecca of Spain.
Vuyo Xabanisa (15), a Bluebirds Ladies’ U17 team midfield maestro has just returned from a Spanish learning curve after cutting her teeth in the game playing street soccer with a makeshift ball made of plastic.
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The KwaBhekilanga High School girl was one of four winners of the 2017 Future Players Gauteng Talent Search who went to Madrid and Valencia for coaching clinics. She returned home with a bag full of tricks that she hopes to share with her Beautiful Birds teammates.
Vuyo was joined on the trip by two other Gauteng football stars, Thabang Rallele of Kgomotso Comprehensive High School in Soshanguve and Thembelihle Fikile of Forest High School in Johannesburg south. The players were accompanied by 2017 Future Coaches Talent Search winner, Sakhile Nkomo from Soweto. The group travelled as guests of the Spanish LaLiga which has opened offices in Johannesburg as part of their commitment to aiding youth football development in South Africa.
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The Future Players initiative is a partnership between the Gauteng Provincial Government’s Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation and the Global Sports International, and has been running since 2009.
Vuyo became the second Alex player to go abroad as part of the competition, after Tshepo Linda, who is now an outstanding shot-stopper for Alex outfit Gauteng FC, went to Manchester in 2013.
Vuyo started her primary education at Zenzeleni in 2002 and said she used to play street soccer with the boys, along with her current teammates in the Birds’ nest, Akhethile Lunyapha and Sinovuyo Sophila.
“As this was a makeshift ball made from plastic, it had no bounce but it was with this ball that we honed our skills in football,” she said. “The boys made us tough with their stamina and skilful type of play that hardened me and my friends and hence our play in the team is often equated to that of the boys.”
The talent search trials were conducted at the Nike Football Training Centre in Soweto. “I made the first group of 20 from well over a 100 entrants.
“… I was finally selected as one of the top three most talented young footballers. That was a great achievement, a feat that I will never forget.”
Vuyo’s mother, Nombeko said, “I am proud of her achievements and the trip to Spain. It heartens me to see that she is making waves with her football career and hope she continues on this path. I look forward to seeing her on the big football stages of Banyana Banyana and the world arena.”
