18 January 2018 – Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana midfielder Amogelang Motau is happy to be back in the national team after an absence of about a year.
She is now based in the USA where she is studying and also playing football.
“It’s really good to be back but I know I have a lot of catching up to do as I missed playing for my country for the whole of 2017 as I was trying to settle in the USA, so I am looking forward to having a good time here, but most importantly to get a win against Sweden,” said Motau.
“I am based in Oklahoma, studying Business Administration at Oral Roberts University. I am quite happy there as everything is going very well. If all goes according to plan I will be done in 2021 with an MBA under my belt.”
So how did Amo land in the USA?
“Well I have one of my former junior national teammate, Nelly Mamabolo – she was the first one to go to Oral Roberts University – and they liked what they saw in her, so they ask for recommendations about other players and my name came up. We are four South Africans at the institution, the other two being Drishana Pillay and Charmal Wilshire – so we are sort of a family there. I played with the latter two in the U20 national team – in fact we played together from U13 at HPC, and Wilshire was my vice captain at U17,” added Motau.
“The competition on the field is tough but it is good for me to learn in such a competitive space in order for me to grow. College football is so huge in the USA and I am glad I had the opportunity to go there and do what I love. Mixing football and education, however, is quite tough, but as I am from HPC and then later to UWC, I am capable of balancing the two.
Banyana Banyana are in Cape Town, where the former SA U20 captain was studying before moving abroad, to face Sweden in an international friendly match on Sunday, at the Cape Town Stadium at 14h00.
“We are playing against a very good team, ranked 10th in the world, which is good for us to play against such opposition. I am expecting a very physical game, we saw they are very tall and physical, but as a team we can use this opportunity to prepare for AWC and also to fulfill our dream to go the World Cup in France, and Sweden is a very good chance for us to see where we are as a team, our weaknesses and our strengths, and also where we need to be for us to compete in a world cup,” said Motau.
“We have to thank SAFA and Sasol for arranging such opponents because this is a crucial year for Banyana Banyana, which comes with pressure and I hope we will have all the support we can get for us to get through this difficult journey that we are about to embark on. We encourage everyone in and around Cape Town to come in numbers because their support will mean a lot to us and we looking forward to seeing them at the match on Sunday.”
Entry to the match is free, but you need a ticket to gain access. These can be collected at Computicket, Shoprite, Checkers, and Checkers Hyper or selected OK Furniture and USave stores.
2018 is the year when the South African Senior Women’s National Team will be playing qualifications matches for the 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, which will be held in Ghana later in the year, as well as the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup scheduled for France.
Amogelang Motau Fact file:
DOB: 27 February 1997
POB: Modimolle, Limpopo
Nickname: Amo
Club: Oral Roberts University (Oklahoma)/University of Western Cape (Cape Town) Previous
Clubs: High Performance Centre (HPC), Kanatla FC
Caps: 3
Goals: 0
Banyana Banyana Debut: vs Egypt on 22 October 2016, international friendly
Honours:
2013-2014 Under 17 National Team Captain
2015- 2016 Under 20 National Team Captain
2016 UWC Ladies Captain
2016 Sasol League Western Cape Provincial Champions
2016 UWC Varsity Cup Runners-up
2016 Coke Cup Winners Western Cape
2016 USSA Champions
US College Honours:
2017 All Freshman Team