Viking Ladies promoted to Sasol League
“I am not expecting a lot from my players as we are a newly promoted team I just want to maintain the standard and fight to be in the top 8,” says Vikings Ladies coach Grace Somo.
Many may not know what 2023 has in store for them, not the Vikings Ladies.
The Tshwane regional Safa women’s league team ended the year on a high by clinching promotion to the Sasol League last weekend guarantee themselves taller hurdles in the new year.
The regional champions won three matches in the playoffs to clinch promotion to the second tier of South Africa’s women’s football.
Captain Anele Mhlanga said the playoffs were difficult considering that they were playing teams they’d never faced before.
“We couldn’t prepare for the opposition teams’ style of play, but it was a fun experience and our preparation made it easy for us to win games,” she said.
She said promotion means that their 2022 goal has been achieved and they’re ready for stiffer competition.
“It is very exciting to finally get promoted to the Sasol League as we finished first in both the regional league and playoffs. I shed tears of joy as I saw my dream of many years finally come true,” she said.
Mhlanga added that hard work and dedication from both the players and the technical team finally paid off.
“I’m well aware that the league is different compared to the regional league, however, I believes that the team will pass the challenge.
“I definitely can’t wait to participate in that league as we will get to have tough competition which will challenge us but I believe in my team and coaches. We will survive the league,” she said.
Coach Grace Somo praised her players for showing guts and courage in the most challenging times.
“I’m so proud of my players. They fought against all odds and managed to stay positive until the end,” she said.
She revealed that it wasn’t easy preparing for playoffs with some players preparing for exams.
“We had to balance education and sport at the same time but they also understood how important it was to win every match,” he said.
She said the players were tired of playing in the regional league and are excited about the new league in 2023.
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