by Thandolukayise Shangase & Sikhulule Moyeni

For many girls, a love for football begins long before they run onto a cheering stadium for the first time. The love begins on kasi streets or dusty fields, playing for local teams after school. The love begins despite doubts from families and communities who believe idiski is only for boys.

For Banyana Banyana’s Sibulele Holweni, the journey to top-flight football started with passion, persistence and discipline. 

The 25-year-old midfielder plays for the University of the Western Cape (UWC) women’s team in the Hollywoodbets Super League and represents South Africa national women’s football team. 

Holweni captained the South African U-17 women’s national team at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay. She debuted for Banyana Banyana against the United States national team in California. She also travelled to Australia for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. 

Holweni said that success in South African women’s football takes exposure, support, sacrifice, mental grit, and focus to overcome hurdles. She says that, above all, girls must have a genuine love for the game.

For young girls who want to play seriously, Holweni advises starting early, around nine or ten years old.

“No one must make you choose to play football; it must be your passion… Join a local team in your area, and develop the basics of football, and understand the game of football itself,” she says.

Passion helps them stay committed through training, competition, rejection, and challenges in building a career in sport. Holweni’s passion was clear at a young age, even though she did not always have immediate permission to play.

“I think I was born a football star, yet at an early age I was not allowed to play, especially on a Sunday when my mother expected me to be in church. It was tough to convince her to allow me to play, because she believed that soccer was for boys,” she says.

Family support and safety

Her mom, Miranda, was not initially a big fan of her career choice. She worried about her daughter’s safety, especially growing up in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, one of South Africa’s dangerous cities. She was concerned about late training times and the football field being far from home, which made her worried for her daughter’s safety.

“In Gqeberha specifically where we were living, they would finish training late, and it was a little bit far from home. So, refusing Cecilia [Holweni] to play was not because I did not want her to play soccer, but most of the time, I was scared that something bad might happen to her as we are living in this horrible world. And back in the day, we had the mindset that soccer was for boys, and boys were dominant in this sport,” says mom, Miranda.

This experience highlights the importance of safe access to training, reliable support, and equal opportunities to develop and succeed if South African women’s soccer is to succeed.

Nelson Mandela University’s Madibaz Football Sport Manager, Mark Tommy, agrees. 

“We must keep in mind the challenges that (girls) have to face during the development phase from ages 9 to 17 or 18 years,” he says. 

South Africa has 343 local football associations, 52 football regions and 9 provinces which are meant to support football development and promotional pathways for both male and female footballers. 

However, Tommy admits, most local football associations [do] not offer girls’ football at this level.

It is therefore important for girls to have strong family and support networks, especially when the football system lacks a clear pathway. Support helps young players navigate the landscape more easily, said Tommy.

Join a local team and build from there

Holweni strongly advises signing up with a community soccer team for aspirant Banyana stars to keep fit and address the strengths and weaknesses of their game and position through consistent, regular training. 

“In your local team, you find competition or players that you share a position with, and you need to compete against him/her in order to make it to the starting 11. Through this, you improve,” advises Holweni.

“I had some competition in my local club but I was always in the starting line-up. Unfortunately I couldn’t attend some games due to the strictness of my mother,” says Holweni.

University can open doors

University football has also traditionally played an important role in developing South African women footballers.

Tommy says many aspiring female players get into their stride with a university football team which offers players the resources and opportunities not available at community or school level. These include structured coaching, strength and conditioning, medical support, and video analysis.

“The universities have traditionally led the pathway for women football, which is evident in the number of national players coming through the university ecosystem,” says Tommy.

The University of the Western Cape, University of Johannesburg, University of Pretoria, Tshwane University of Technology, Fort Hare University and the University of Cape Town are all part of the Hollywood Bets Super League.

Discipline on and off the field 

Women’s soccer is a serious sport demanding peak physical fitness and agility. Holweni warns young players against using substances that may affect their performance and fitness.

Holweni made a conscious decision to avoid any bad habits that could harm her football career: “Cigarettes can destroy your lungs, and will lead to a player getting tired only after two minutes of playing,” she says.

“I made sure that I was not getting addicted to any substances, because I knew that would affect my performance on the field.” 

​“If you want to become a successful professional player, discipline is required every time on and off the field. Know when and where to have an opinion in a team,” advises Holweni.

She said that while playing for HPC Football Club, she kept a quiet approach and focused on her role in the team. “In HPC football club, I was the quietest player. I didn’t want to have many opinions, as sometimes your opinion can go wrong and you will take the blame.”

Beyond being quiet, football wasn’t just about listening to coaches. It involved arriving on time, training consistently, respecting teammates, taking her studies seriously, eating healthy, resting well, and avoiding behaviours that harm reputation or performance.

Keep your eye on the (academic) ball

For young women trying to build football careers, discipline also means mastering the balance between sport and education. Holweni’s journey illustrates that studies and football can comfortably co-exist, especially through university sport structures.

For young players using the university as a pathway to top-flight football, discipline also means taking academics seriously. 

Tommy identifies academic requirements as a challenge talented female footballers face when accessing university opportunities.

“Academic entry requirements is a prerequisite for the dual career opportunity. Aspiring footballers should not treat education as separate from their sporting ambitions. Similarly, for student-athletes, discipline extends beyond training as they have to balance football with their studies, travelling for competitions, and recovery. This all requires careful planning and time management.”

“The habits you establish during your school years often become the foundation for success at university or elite competition,” he says.

Reaching top-flight football does not solely depend on how talented you are as a player. It is about what you do with that talent, the opportunities you take, the habits you grow, and the community that supports you.

For Holweni, the journey of a young girl from iBhayi who had to convince her mother that soccer was worth pursuing, led to her running out on the world stage, representing her country in the green and gold.

Article provided courtesy of the Khulani! Youth Journalism project