Soccer development on the West Rand continues to gain momentum as the West Rand Ballers Football Academy reflects on a demanding yet successful season, marked by strong performances across multiple tournaments and growing recognition for its players.

After months of hard work and dominant displays, the academy is now looking ahead to a fresh start, with renewed focus on improving results and highlighting the players who played a key role in the club’s progress.

The academy primarily competed in three tournaments during the season – the Old Parks Tournament, the Astroplex Tournament, and the Duku Duku Tournament.

According to founder and senior head coach Junior Mwale, the first team played 26 league matches and more than 20 tournament matches, with several players catching the attention of scouts and tournament hosts.

“We had a few players who stood out,” Mwale said.

He mentioned that their U19 captain, Lebogang ‘Malema’ Matlala, was named both Player of the Year and Defender of the Year in his age division.

“As a result, he has been invited to attend trials with the Golden Arrows development team in April. We are currently trying to raise funds to assist him with travelling to Durban,” he said.

Mwale added that the academy enjoyed success across several age groups, collecting three trophies during the season. The U15 team won a tournament hosted by Super 11 in December, the U17 team claimed the Old Parks Tournament title, while the U13 side reached the final but narrowly lost to Sundowns.

He further noted that the majority of the academy’s goals were scored by a standout U12 player, who finished the season with an impressive 27 goals.

Looking ahead, the academy has set its sights on winning both league and tournament titles in the upcoming season. Despite having won more than 35 trophies over the years, a league title has so far eluded the club.

In addition to its competitive ambitions, West Rand Ballers will also be expanding its development programme by launching a girls’ and young women’s team.

“The new girls’ team will focus on developing women’s football in the West Rand,” Mwale explained.

“There is a shortage of women’s teams in the area, and we want to start developing players from a young age so they can compete at a higher level within the next two years. It’s a project I’m extremely excited about. I can’t wait to discover the next Thembi Kgatlana or Hilda Magaia,” he concluded.

If you are interested in joining the academy, you can contact Junior at 072 335 4860.