Passion and grace propelling women’s football
A 7-a-side tournament was held to bring the curtain down on a great season
Bantwana College Football Club NPC held their annual 7-a-side football tournament on Saturday, 2 November. Teams from across Johannesburg assembled at the home of Bosmont Local Football Association, the Barney Gaffney Stadium in Bosmont, to test their skills in a condensed format.
Bantwana College have had a nomadic existence in recent years, having had a base at Allen Glen High School in Allen’s Nek and more recently at the Northcliff Cricket Ground, Northcliff. The dedication of coach Theo Buttress and the unwavering support of the players and parents has kept this young platform of female football development heading in the right direction. Saturday’s tournament is one of two annual events held by the club with the other being a full 11-a-side pre-season tournament held in March.
Women’s football is growing ever more popular, not only on the field but also as a mainstream form of sporting entertainment. The sport is ripe with opportunity and events like these go a long way to generating the momentum needed to take the sport to the next level. Regular high-level participation is key to sustainable football development and Saturday proved to be just that.
Attending teams all played each other once each with the top four teams progressing to the knockout rounds. Hosts Bantwana College would lose their semifinal but triumphed in their third place playoff to earn the bronze medal. Palace Super Falcons Academy of Midrand faced off against Randburg Football Club in the final with Randburg taking the gold medal, thanks to a 2–0 win.
Theo said after a long day, “The tournament was a great success. It was so awesome seeing so many girls enjoying football and playing with so much passion”.
This brings the curtain down on a long season but Buttress will take no breaks as he plans and prepares for the pre-season tournament in March that marks the first step in making 2020 a season to remember.
