8 November 2017 – The Sasol League roadshow took East London by storm from 2-4 November 2017 at the Jan Smuts Stadium.
Attended by interim Banyana Banyana coach, Desiree Ellis, the roadshow provided her with an opportunity to scout and unearth new talent that can be assessed further for possible inclusion in the women’s national team structures.
The well attended Coaches Workshop on Friday, 3 November saw Ellis ‘coach the coaches’ in this idea sharing session where key aspects of the game such as game analysis, tactical awareness, tactical development, physical conditioning, psycho/social development, and injury prevention training were discussed at length with the local Sasol League coaches.
On Saturday, 4 November, the leading ladies of Eastern Cape football had their opportunity to showcase their talent at the provincial playoffs to determine the province’s representatives at the National Championship in Nelspruit from 5-11 December 2017.
Thunderbirds Ladies won 3-1 against Red Roses Ladies in a tactical battle over 90 minutes to secure their place amongst the best nine teams in the country.
“The Eastern Cape has a proud football heritage, and this was evident during the roadshow. The quality of football by the teams at the playoffs, the coaches workshop and the interest shown by the fans and media in the province was of the highest standard. The wave of enthusiasm surrounding women’s football at the moment is a major bonus as we head into the National Championship in Nelspruit and as the brand behind women’s football, we are very proud to be powering the game forward” said Nozipho Mbatha – Sasol Group Brand Marketing Manager.
Five football fans in attendance were rewarded with shopping vouchers as token of appreciation for their support.
Notably, Sasol recently renewed their sponsorship of the country’s premier women’s football league, an initiative that has played an integral part in contributing to the growth and development of women’s football in South Africa for another four (4) years until 2021.
The Sasol League takes place across all the nine provinces of South Africa.
Matches are played on Saturdays and Sundays and will culminate with the National Championships that take place over a period of one week towards the end of the year.