Rising soccer star, Rosalie James is working her way towards a spot in the Banyana Banyana team one step at a time.
The 15-year-old has won goalkeeper of the year in the JVW (Janine van Wyk) Girls Schools League twice in a row while playing for the JVW Randburg team, and has earned selection for the Gauteng U17 side.
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The Grade 9 learner also plays for the first team at Parktown High School for Girls and helped the school win their league for the past two seasons.
This Linden resident has played in Spain and Portugal for the Rand Central Local Football Association and aims to play in the United States of America for a few weeks in April next year.
“I started soccer when I was seven and stuck with the sport because when I play, I feel free and the adrenaline rush of being a keeper is one of my favourite parts,” she said with a smile.
“I love the sport because of my teammates and friendships as well as it being a sport where I feel there are so many possibilities and the game is never predictable.”
Rosalie started playing soccer at the age of five when she and her brothers would kick the ball around in the garden. Rosalie smiled as she showed off soccer nets they had constructed for their games.
The youngster aims to go all the way and represent her country in the sport.
To do this she hopes to learn as much as she can under coaches Kaylin Swart (a Banyana goalkeeper), Caylin Whyte (Rosalie’s school coach) and Andile Dlamini (another Banyana goalkeeper).
Rosalie wants to help her Randburg team win their regional league and when she is older, study in America and play college soccer there, where skills development and funding are second to none.
Rosalie said the only drawback about the sport was that currently it was not taken very seriously in South Africa. Leagues are not as well funded or organised as the men’s division.
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