SA women’s footballers offered life-changing opportunity

The University of South Alabama and the University of Southern Mississippi are offering life-changing opportunities to SA women footballers.

In search of talent, the two universities based in the United States of America [USA] have partnered with ZSPORTS Academy to identify SA women’s footballers with great potential to be top stars in the future.

The news will be welcomed by Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis. She has in the past reiterated the importance of SA women’s players plying their trade overseas.

THE GAP IS SO BIG

Ellis believes that SA players moving abroad can only positively impact the growth of the national team.

“You want players to train at a higher level every day. You want players to play at a high level every week,” Ellis once said.

“When you play at that high level, you get used to that high intensity. Our leagues are organised, and that, but the intensity in some of the matches is very low.

“So, when you’re preparing for international football, the gap is so big. The intensity they are training and playing at now, the gap is much closer.”

The USA is one of the leading countries in women’s football, with a competitive league. The US women’s team has won the FIFA World Cup four times.

WHO CAN ATTEND THE TRIALS

The opportunity at South Alabama will also afford SA women’s players the opportunity to study at the university while playing football.

The trials are set to be staged on Saturday, 15 April 2023, at the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium in KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga. They are only for players aged 17 to 23.

In addition, for participants to receive the scholarship, they must be high school or university graduates or university students.

The other requirement is that the players must be able to compete in NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] Division 1 football.

On the day of the trials, the players need to wear black socks and shorts for uniformity.

“We would like to thank ZSPORTS Academy for putting on a showcase. They are trying to identify talent in South Africa; good luck,” Richard Moodie, the head coach of the university’s women’s team.

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