Bluebirds miss golden opportunity for a Swedish trip next year
JOBURG – Alex's Bluebirds Ladies unlucky not to represent SA in the Gothia Cup in Sweden next year after being booted out in semis of the VW Junior Masters Tournament.
The Bluebirds Ladies U15 team missed a trip of a lifetime to represent South Africa at the Volkswagen Junior Masters Tournament in July next year in Sweden to be played under the Gothia Cup in Gothenburg.
The Birds’ development side from Alexandra represented the McCarthy VW Franchise Office in Arcadia, Pretoria, in the two-yearly national tournament held at the University of the Witwatersrand from 5 to 7 December. The team would have made history by being the first women’s team to represent the country in the Gothia Cup if they had won the tournament.
The Alex outfit was booted out of contention for glory in the semi-finals of the tournament by a gritty JVW Ladies development side from Bedfordview with a 3–0 scoreline. Coach Thapelo Mphahlele described the result as not being a true reflection of the game as his girls matched their opponents’ pound for pound but could not just find the opening in the tight defence of the Bedfordview dealership side.
“I am quite aware that games are won on goals,” he said in an interview with Alex News afterward. “You may match them pound for pound or even be the better side on the pitch and dominate the opponents but if you don’t take your chances and convert them into goals, you will be the loser at the end of the day. This is what happened to us. We did not use our opportunities.”
This was the first time that girls’ teams have played in the tournament from which they will now form part of every two years. This follows a decision of the VW South Africa organisers to include women’s football in this development tournament and the Birds were part of the pioneering women’s sides.
“There is formidable talent amongst girls in this country and it is important for us to invest in and create a positive impact in the lives of the youth of this country,” said Martina Biene, head of the Volkswagen brand.
Mphahlele said even the manager of the dealership they represented was impressed by the standard of football from the girls and the fact that ‘we went all the way to semi-finals and he expressed his gratitude for that’.
“Obviously they would have been overjoyed if we had gone all the way and won the right to represent the country in Sweden in the girls’ division.
“We’re preparing these girls for the coming two years in which they will be eligible to play for the senior team. We want to build a formidable side of Bluebirds that can see us progress to the prestigious National Women’s League or if we’re there already, maintain our standard and dominate the league.”
The girls come from schools in and outside of Alex such as Alex High, Realogile High, Waverley Girls’ High, Sandtonview High, and MC Weiler Primary School.
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