R’fontein’s Banyana Banyana star
Thembi Kgatlana plays for Banyana Banyana and for Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League.
Thembi Kgatlana was only eight years old when she started to play on a local boys’ soccer team and at 22 years old she has finally made it to the big league.
“It was especially difficult at the beginning, because I was the only girl on the team, but I stood my ground and pushed through it. Today I am honored to play for the South Africa national women’s soccer team, Banyana Banyana. I spend eight months in America each year because I also play for Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League,” she said.
She represented South Africa at the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations where she won the Player of the Tournament and was the highest goal scorer.
“My favourite part of the sport is that it gives you the opportunity to showcase your talents and abilities. If you don’t have the passion, you won’t wake up early every morning to train. It’s a passion-driven sport and I was born with a passion to play soccer.”
She trains hard throughout the year.
“We play a lot of games internationally and it’s great to experience different cultures. At the end of the day, sports bring different types of people together,” she said.
She doesn’t have a lot of friends in the soccer community, but she tries to keep in touch with her friends and family in Mohlakeng when she is overseas. Thembi said that she gets a lot of support from people in South Africa as well as other African countries like Ghana.
When Thembi isn’t on the soccer field or training for a big game, she studies Tourism through the University of the Western Cape.
“I’m proud of how far I’ve come, but I have even bigger dreams. My coach always says that as soon as you reach the mountain peak, you will find another mountain and I am prepared to climb every last one to the top.”
Banyana Banyana qualified for the Women’s World Cup in France 2019 and will be grouped with Germany, China and Spain.
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