Women in Sport: Amanda Dlamini still has her eye on the ball

It’s not every day you get to see a successful former Banyana Banyana player who has been able to turn her life around for the better
after retiring from football with the struggles female football players have continued to face in the country for years now.

Womens football in the country hasn’t been quite something our female players can depend on in terms of financial stability and that’s all because of lack of sponsors despite their achievements and dedication to serve the country.

Many female players find themselves having to balance between school, work and football – whereas a number of them have found themselves in a difficult situation having to choose between playing football or their jobs.

Many have had to choose the latter, ending up jobless and without a stable income.

A number of these players find themselves living in poverty after their soccer career ends, but, there are only a few who have managed to defy the odds and strived to make a living in football, a game they love and have the passion for.

That even though there wasn’t really much for them to benefit from in their playing days.

But the honour of donning the national team colours and representing the South African senior national women’s team on the world stage has driven them to always do their best for the national team.

A notable example of a former Banyana player who has been able to change and inspire young female footballers is Amanda Dlamini, whose career as a TV pundit is continuing to grow and is also an ambassador of successful brands following a remarkable career with Banyana.

But Dlamini’s success story didn’t come easy, having had to play for a boys team and moved out of her parents’house in Harding, KwaZulu-Natal to Durban where she joined Durban Ladies.

She finally saw that football was something that she wanted to pursue.

Amanda Dlamini of South Africa during the Womens International friendly match between South Africa and Zimbabwe at Makhulong Stadium, Tembisa on May 15, 2016 in Kempton Park, South Africa. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images)

However, for a 13-year old to move to a big city like Durban was not an ideal thing, but because of family values, she carried herself well.

And after a couple of years, she went on to get selected for the South African senior national women’s team.

“I started playing football with boys. But it was very normal for me because there was never a point where I felt otherwise because I treated them like my brothers and they treated me like a sister,” Dlamini recalled about her rise to becoming a Banyana legend.

“But it was different when it came to opponents. They always wanted to prove a point whenever I would dribble them. But, everything changed when a former school teacher advised me that I should move to Durban and join Durban Ladies after playing for a local girls’ team called Young Callies FC. I didn’t know what to think at the time because I was very young. But, luckily my parents agreed to it and for some reason, I was happy that I was going to do something that I loved.

“Even though I was happy, there was also something at the back of my mind, I was moving to a big city and I was very young at that point. But luckily for me, I was raised in a very strict household and I was able to do the right things which at that point was focusing on football and my education.

“I was very excited about being calledup to the national team in 2006, it was a huge chance for me. We were going to play against Ghana, but, it happened that I didn’t have a passport so I could not leave with the team. I was very disappointed and it was a huge blow for me and I thought I would never be called into the national team again.”

With the thought that she would never be recalled, the 31-year old was shocked when she got called up the following year.

Dlamini was about to play alongside some of the big names she usually saw on TV.

But, her debut was not a memorable one as the team went on to lose 5-0 to Nigeria in an Olympic qualifier.

“It was intimidating being in that Banyana Banyana camp, I was around players that I always saw on TV. Your Portia Modises and Vera Phewas, it was very scary, but I had to adjust to it.”

From then on, the KZN-born player cemented her place in the Banyana squad, going on to win a bronze medal and silver medal at the African Women’s Championships in 2010 and 2012 respectively.

She continued to grow in the Banyana team and she was one of the key players in the squad captaining the team from 2011-2013 before deciding to hand over the armband to someone else having also played at the 2012 and 2016 London and Rio Olympic Games.

Dlamini shocked many football fans in the country when news that the midfielder had stepped down as Banyana captain broke and was slammed on social media, but says she had to do it.

“I felt that it was the right time for me to step down from the captaincy, there were lots of things that were happening in the camp and I only wanted to concentrate on playing. A lot of people attacked me on social media at that time telling me that I was selfish to do it, but I had to. I also wanted to focus on my studies because there was a lot of pressure (being a captain of the team).”

Dlamini is considered one of the best players to come out of the Banyana team and is one of many talented players that never got an opportunity to play abroad.

However, she reveals that there was an opportunity for her to go and play overseas at some point in her career.

Circumstances however, stopped her from going.

“After the Olympic Games in London, I got an invite to a trial with Liverpool Ladies FC and I also got an invite from Bristol Academy. But I couldn’t go, there were some family issues I was dealing with at that time and I also felt like I wasn’t ready, its an opportunity missed. But again, I don’t regret it,” she revealed.

“I am happy to see many Banyana players now going to play abroad, your Thembi Kgatlanas, Linda Motlhalos, to mention but a few. It’s really great seeing them doing well.”

Retired in 2018, a year before Banyana went on to compete at the Fifa Women’s World Cup for the first time, it surely was hard for Dlamini to have missed out on the opportunity, but she is proud of what Banyana have achieved so far.

“I spoke to coach Vera Pauw (former Banyana coach) about retiring, but she tried to convince me not to because she believed that Banyana would qualify for the World Cup. And they did,” she laughs.

“But, it is what is, I am just happy for the team and what we have achieved so far.”

Dlamini might have not played at the World Cup, but she has achieved a lot as a Banyana player so far and is growing as a soccer pundit.

She is also passionate about helping young girls to achieve their dream with the Amanda Dlamini Foundation, started eight years ago.

For more sport your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.