Randburg goes to Safa tournament

Randburg Football Club (RAFC) Women in Football, dominated the South African Football Association’s (Safa) regional tournament.

RAFC Women in Football fielded seven players in the U16 Safa Johannesburg team and three in its U18 team at the tournament at the Reiger Park Football Stadium on 17 September.

This tournament had all five regional teams playing each other: Safa Johannesburg, Safa Sedipeng, Safa West Rand, Safa Tshwane and Safa Ekhuruleni. There were U16 and U18 teams representing their respective regions as selected during trials held on 15 September at the University of Johannesburg after a short list of players were selected at the Safa Johannesburg Tournament held earlier in September. Rand Central Local Football Association (RCLFA) had an U16 and U18 team in the tournament.

At this tournament, RCLFA progressed to the finals against an Alexandra U16 team, which had to be postponed as the lights could not be switched on at the stadium and it became too dark to play. The U18s progressed to the semi-finals, but lost 1–0 and were out of the tournament.

Several players from RAFC and RCLFA were selected for the Safa Johannesburg team. They are Gretel Buttress (RAFC), Asante Papo (RAFC), Sharon Ndaba (Emmarentia Football Club), Kisten Nolan (UJ), Sarah Walker (Old Parks) and Isabella Ludwig (Crusaders).

The Safa Joburg team beat all the regions and played in the final against Safa Tshwane. The game ended in a 1–1 draw, and penalties ensued. The first penalty was taken by Mohiodi Majola, who scored. The first Tshwane penalty was saved by Gugulethu Pitso. The second penalty for Safa Joburg was taken by Nicole Micheal and she scored, leaving Tshwane the task of coming back from 2–0. The second penalty was taken by Tshwane and again, Pitso saved it. Kirsten Nolan took the third penalty and scored.

Tshwane now had to score to stay in the competition. They shot and Pitso saved the kick, but the referee adjudged it a retake as she said that Pitso moved off her line before the ball was kicked. The retake was taken and the Tshwane player hoofed her shot over the bar and Safa Johannesburg emerged the winners 3–0 on penalties.

Buttress, the number five centre-back for Safa Johannesburg, again captained her side to a second successive Safa Regional victory, as she did last year.

Selected players from this tournament will make up the Gauteng provincial team that will participate in the provincial tournament later this year.

RCLFA coach, Theo Buttress had the opportunity to coach the Safa Johannesburg team. He said, “I am so humbled by this experience and am grateful to God for the blessings and opportunity to work with such talented young women footballers in the development stages of their footballing careers.”