Gugulethu’s Cape Town Roses dominated this weekend’s girls’ under-14 and senior women’s Dream Cup soccer tournament, qualifying for the finals in both divisions in the competition held at William Herbert sports ground, in Wynberg.
The competition, now in its fourth year and hosted by Wynberg-based Spurs Women’s FC, featured 18 senior sides and five under-14 teams.
When it comes to girls’ and women’s football in the city, especially cup competitions, Roses have long been a force to be reckoned with, having won numerous titles under the guidance of founder and head coach, Xolile Madikane, including the Cape Town leg of last year’s Engen Knockout Challenge.
At the weekend, Madikane took charge of the under-14s who beat newcomers, Ubuntu FC’s girls’ side, 3-0 in the final while Roses’ senior side, guided by coach Sibongiseni “Lhalha” Khamlana, lost 1-0 against Rondebosch outfit, Magic Ladies FC, in their cup final match.
Khamlana, a former player who hanged up her boots in 2022 and is current head coach at CPUT, switched to coaching after volunteering as a schools’ sports coach and assisting Madikani, deputy principal at Lwazi Primary School in Gugulethu, during her free time.
Despite the result not going her way, Khamlana says she’s thankful for the opportunity and lessons learnt.
“This was my first cup competition as I’m always assisting. It was a great tournament and I’m happy we made it to the finals,” said Khamlana, who was named the Dream Cup’s coach-of-the tournament.
“I am honoured to have participated in the tournament to gain exposure as a coach. I have learnt and gained so much experience.
“It’s important that we create more opportunities for girls, take care of community clubs, do more to develop the game at grassroots level and invite more sponsors to come on board,” she said.
Winning coach, Magic Ladies FC’s Astrid van Kesteren, a firm believer that more women should be involved in all aspects of the game, agrees.
“It’s important to develop girls’ soccer because there are so much more opportunities now than previously, to be scouted to play football or get a football scholarship to study overseas. The sky is the limit,” she said.
Tournament director Winston Zeederberg also underscored the importance of girls’ competitions, saying the aim is to establish a platform for players to showcase their talents and to have a tournament to call their own.
“It is important that we have events like this, because here you will find raw diamonds, which may need a little work but have the potential to shine bright. We must continue to create these opportunities in order to grow the women’s game even further,” he said.
