Women's soccer in South Africa

Women's soccer began in South Africa during the 1960s and gained popularity in the 1990s, when the first national women's team was formed.[1][2]

Women's soccer in South Africa
CountrySouth Africa
Governing bodySouth African Football Association
National team(s)Women's national team
Club competitions
International competitions

History

South African women's soccer started in 1960 during the Apartheid era. Orlando Pirates Women's Football Club and Mother City Girls were among the first women's soccer clubs formed in 1962.[3]

National league

Sanlam National Women's Football League was set up in the late 1990s with the goal of increasing the number of women in soccer administration and a second season was played in 2002.[4] As of 2014 South Africa does not have a national women's football league.[5][6] The league is believed to have been discontinued as no more seasons have been played since the early 2000s.

In 2012, then Minister of Sports and recreation, Fikile Mbalula, called for the creation of a women's football league after the national women's football team, Banyana Banyana, returned from the 2012 Olympic Games defeated.[7]

National team
Main article: South Africa women's national football team

South Africa women's national football team, nicknamed "Banyana Banyana" has been participating in international soccer since 1993, when they beat Swaziland 14–0 on 30 May of that year. This is their biggest win to date.[8]

The team is controlled by the South African Football Association.

International participation

As of 2014, the South African national women's soccer team has not qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup. They have been competing in the CAF Women's Championship since 1995. They qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time at the 2012 Olympic Games.[9] Banyana Banyana to their first WAFCON victory in 2022, where they defeated hosts Morocco 2-1 in the final.[10][11]

See also

References
  1. "Competition and Player Development  : A comparison between South America and Germany" (PDF). Cies.ch. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  2. Cynthia Fabrizio Pelak. "Women and gender in South African soccer: a brief history" (PDF). History.msu.edu. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  3. "Football in South Africa Timeline 1862–2012". www.sahistory.org. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  4. "Women's soccer gets fired up". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  5. "Banyana's flops: proof that we need a women's league". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  6. "Learning English – Words in the News – South Africa's female footballers". Bbc.co.uk. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  7. "SA needs professional women's soccer league – Mbalula". www.citypress.co.za. Archived from the original on 14 July 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  8. "Senior National Women's Team". South African Football Association. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  9. "Banyana qualify for London Olympics". mg.co.za. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  10. "South Africa beat Morocco to win first Wafcon title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  11. Howorth, Alasdair; CNN, for (27 July 2023). "Banyana Banyana: How South Africa emerged from apartheid to shine on the world stage". CNN. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
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