BOIPATONG.- Montsheng Kola was the first woman referee to come from the Vaal.

Sedibeng Ster Sport celebrates the life and career of this former referee who is still very active in football and sports in general in this region.

She made history as the first woman from this region to officiate in the men’s soccer league. This was long before it was fashionable for women referees to be appointed to officiate for men’s soccer matches, especially in top-flight football.

However, Kola was a step ahead of the rest.

Like other girls in the community, Kola started playing soccer with the boys in the dusty streets of Boipatong. When she retired from playing soccer, she became a referee under the leadership of Jack Leboko, who discovered many referees and became a household name in South African football.

Kola officiated at the highest level of football, including the SAB and Vodacom League.

She has spent the rest of her life in football as a player, referee, referee assessor, and football administrator. When she retired from refereeing, she became a fourth match official and referees’ assessor.

Kola attended the National Commissioners Workshop held at SAFA’s Technical Centre in Fun Valley in Johannesburg in 2022 to empower herself in her new role in football.

In an exclusive interview with Sedibeng Ster Sport, Kola said Women’s Month should be used to celebrate the women who sacrificed their gender to be involved in football, which was initially regarded as a men’s sport.

“I’m touched to see that some of us are still remembered. Thank you, Sedibeng Ster, for promoting women within the community. I still remember how excited I was to see myself in the newspaper for the first time. This is the only newspaper that promotes women in sports, especially women’s football in this region,” she concluded.