UJ’s Amanda to inspire girls who love football
Midfielder aims at football and career success.
Banyana Banyana (national women’s football team) and University of Johannesburg (UJ) midfielder Amanda Dlamini, who played a key role in UJ’s victorious Varsity campaign,says she wants to inspire young girls from rural areas to pursue their dreams.
Fresh from the UJ’s triumph in the inaugural Varsity Football competition, Amanda spoke about her decision to relinquish the national captain’s armband and her work in the development of women’s soccer.
Amanda is currently back home in Harding, KwaZulu-Natal, while she completes a module via correspondence and plays for Durban Ladies in the Sasol provincial league.
She already has made 66 appearances for the national squad and notched up 21 goals in the process. The highlight of her tenure as captain was leading the first-ever Banyana team to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2012. She hopes still to be an integral part of South Africa’s plans to qualify for the 2015 Fifa Women’s World Cup and their quest to win the African Women’s Championship.
Earlier this year this sports role model established the Amanda Dlamini Girls’ Foundation, which aims to inspire young girls from rural areas to pursue their dreams.
“As a rural girl I know how it feels to be isolated from all sporting activities. Because I have experienced these challenges, I felt the need to go out there and motivate these young girls not to give up, no matter what.”
As part of the programme, Amanda shares her footballing experiences and some of the challenges that female athletes face. She says the emphasis is on balancing education and sport, providing coaching in life skills and football.
“We offer career guidance and teambuilding exercises. There also is something called ‘my sacred space’, which is where I tell them about my upbringing and relate to them and answer one-on-one questions.”
Amanda, who scored two goals in UJ’s 6-0 drubbing over Tshwane University of Technology, believes it was depth of experience that gave her side the edge in the Varsity Football competition in September.
Although the presence of past and present national players like herself, Noko Matlou and Disebo Mametja had strengthened the side without a doubt, she preferred to focus on the entire unit.
“We work as a team and shy away from focusing on individuals. We work very well as a unit and not as a group of stars.
“We are always mindful of complacency and therefore work hard at training sessions to complement the massive talent we have in our squad.”
The 25 year old said the Varsity Football series had added great value to the game by ensuring constant competition and providing a visible and equal platform for women’s football.
“This shows that women’s sport as a whole is on the rise and being taken seriously.”
Amanda’s greatest ambition is to have her own football academy for women one day. According to her, her own start was slightly less auspicious, following her cousin and brother to the fields where they played.
“One day I was asked to play because they were a player short and I grabbed that opportunity with both hands. At first it was just a hobby – little did I know the only little girl playing with boys would one day get this far.”
