For the first time in more than a century of local football, North End Soccer Stadium is set to host its first official women’s soccer league, as part of East London Central Local Football Association, from mid-July onwards.
Launched on June 22, the league follows a mixed club and schools’ format and is sponsored by Premier Star Bakeries. Last year, Premier Star sponsored the women’s trial league, hosted by ELCFLA and at the launch, committed to sponsoring the official league on a year-to-year basis.
The sponsorship amounts to R30,000 and includes silverware, match balls, referee kits, match fees, hampers and T-shirts for playing staff.
Premier Star Bakeries East London and Fort Jackson bakery manager, Hansie du Plessis said he hoped the league would afford women the opportunity to develop their talent and to participate in grassroots development.
All teams are registered with ELCFLA and will receive players cards.
The league includes last year’s trial league winners, Mzomhle Senior Secondary School as well as Atlantic Spurs, Buffalo Chiefs, FC East London, Buffalo City TVET College, Merchants FC, Riverside FC, United FC, Lingelethu Senior Secondary School and Canaan Academy.
The league season programme will run until November and will include three tournaments: the Star Bakery Women’s League, the Star Bakery Women’s Day Cup on Women’s Day and the September East London Central LFA Anniversary Knock-Out Tournament.
ELCFLA vice-president, Vuyo Zambodla said establishing the league officially was important to provide a solid framework from which local women’s soccer can be managed administratively. Last year’s trial league included teams from local high schools.
However, it was realised that schools struggled to maintain consistent participation.
Formalising a league for the ladies enabled ELCFLA to introduce more stringent rules to regulate how teams manage their players to ensure for equity. The North End Women’s Football League will not be open to players from Hollywood Bets and will cap Sasol League players at two per team.
ELCFLA president, Gavin van Rooyen said that schools’ inability to play on weekends, over school holidays and during exams, made it difficult to maintain game fixtures last year. ELCFLA however will not preclude school teams from participating, especially in the Women’s Day tournament on August 9 given the event’s popularity last year.
An additional concern hampering a school-based league is in the on-going animosity between Safa Buffalo City and ELCFLA. However, both structures have committed towards addressing gender parity at local level.
Zambodla said: “We have changed this to a club system, and we don’t know how the clubs will fare because clubs have their own set of challenges.
“As an LFA we have had women’s football in the constitution forever, but we had done nothing about it for years.
“It’s painful to see little girls placed in the boy’s team at U8/U9 level, who then have no team to progress to.
“We are excited to start the league and to see girls on the field again.”
Merchants FC president Gary Nina said: “The launch could have not come at a more appropriate time, as we ramp up to the Women’s World Cup in July.
“I have been part of Merchants FC for 53 years and never has there been a proposal to form a women’s team, however, women have always been involved in the club’s affairs.
“I am sure, that if the opportunity of women’s football presented itself at that time, it could have been a prominent part of our sporting landscape.
“I would like to encourage all sports followers to support women’s soccer and encourage our young ladies to consider this global sport,” Nina said.
