Panorama Football Club’s (FC) Athena Fredricks has always had football in her blood.

Born and raised in a family where the game was more than just a pastime, with her father an ex-professional footballer and her older brother still actively playing, it was almost inevitable that she would find her way onto the pitch. What started as a playful pastime with her cousins soon became a passion that would shape her identity and future. Athena’s football journey began at just seven years old when she joined Metro Stars, where she was, unsurprisingly, the only girl in the team.

“I remember dribbling through a lot of the boys,” she laughs. “Back then, I was just playing for fun.”

Although she dabbled in various sports growing up, football always lingered in the background, waiting for its moment to take centre stage. That moment came in 2021, when Athena joined her first official club, Panorama FC. Once again, she found herself among mostly male players, but the experience toughened her and honed her skill. Over the next three years, her growth was undeniable.

By 2024, she had earned a spot in her first-ever girls’ team. This was a turning point in her journey that helped her realise football wasn’t just a hobby anymore.

“It became my passion, my safe space, and something I want to make a living out of,” she says.

When Athena decided to take football seriously, she looked to some of the biggest names in women’s football for guidance.

“At first, I looked up to Alex Morgan because she’s left-footed like me,” Athena shares. “I even wore her pink headband just to feel like her.”

As she matured, her admiration shifted toward Aitana Bonmatí, the Barcelona and Spain star known for her vision, creativity, and control in midfield. Her father remains a driving force, encouraging her to study the best and work tirelessly to reach that level. One of Athena’s proudest moments came in 2024, when she was named Player of the Season both at school and for Panorama FC.

“It was my first year playing with girls, so the environment was very different,” she recalls. That same year, the Panorama FC U15 Gauteng Women’s Development League team made club history, finishing the season with the most points ever achieved and scoring 100 goals in the league.

Athena was an instrumental part of that record-breaking campaign. Her ambition goes far beyond local fields. She dreams of representing South Africa at the FIFA Women’s World Cup and one day playing in the Women’s Super League.

Looking ahead five years, she envisions herself playing college soccer in America or Europe, or perhaps starring for Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies in the Hollywoodbets Super League.