5 April 2021- After 12 months of inactivity due to the Corona virus Pandemic, the South African Football Association (SAFA) made an announcement that amateur football, which includes the Sasol League can now be played again.

The first ball will be kicked this coming weekend (Saturday, 10 April 2021).

When the 2020 season was stopped and cancelled in March last year, only three matches had been played.

“We cannot hide our excitement to see the girls back on the field, where they belong. Our role as Sasol is to help grow and develop women’s football in South Africa, but unfortunately Covid-19 denied us, and the players, that chance,” said Nozipho Mbatha: Head of Brand and Sponsorships – Sasol.

“If feels so good to know that we can now resume with our mission of giving support to the Association to grow this game.”

Established in 2009, the Sasol League is South Africa’s semi-professional women’s football league. It is played in all the provinces of the country. The League is used as a conveyor belt for the new SAFA National Women’s League (SNWL) en route to the various women’s national teams – U17, U20 and Banyana Banyana.


Current players of the Senior Women’s National Team were selected from the Sasol League, and many of them went on to have successful careers abroad: Janine van Wyk. Scotland; Refiloe Jane, Italy; Keslo Peskin, France; Thembi Kgatlana, Noko Matlou, Amanda Mthandi, Linda Motlhalo, Sweden, Rhoda Mulaudzi and Lebo Ramalepe –both Belarus, among others.


“The Sasol League is an intergral part of our strategy to see a successful Banyana Banyana. We want nothing else but to see women’s football grow even more, and with the League returning to action, we will rest assured that women’s football will not be left behind,” said SAFA CEO Tebogo Motlanthe.


“We have witnessed several Banyana Banyana players move abroad, and we have to admit they got their foundation from the Sasol League to become household names. We are positive that the Senior Women’s National Team will be further strengthened by the players returning to football as this will help the head coach identify more good players.”


The Sasol League also gives over 3600 female football players the opportunity to participate in regular competitive football throughout the year.
“Before the pandemic, we used to conduct annual road shows, which were a crucial part of the season where the Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis was able to interact with locals coaches as part of skills transfer done through workshops in various provinces,” added Mbatha.


“For now our focus is on returning to action and as time goes on, we will revisit all the other programmes that are linked to the League.”
Please note that the following provinces will kick-off the leagues on the 10th of April 2021

• Eastern Cape
• North West
• Gauteng
• Free State
• Northern Cape
• Limpopo

The following provinces will kick-off the leagues on the 11 April 2021

• Kwazulu-Natal
• Mpumalanga

Only one province will kick-off the league on the 30 April 2021

• Western Cape

For noting:

• Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Free State, Northern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga have two (02) streams.
• North West, Gauteng and Western Cape have one (01) stream.

At the end of each season, the Sasol League concludes with the Sasol League National Championship, which pits the country’s top nine teams (each a provincial winner) against each other with the winner being crowned the Sasol League National Champion. Each team gets some prizemoney.

As there was no conclusion to the 2020 Sasol League season, JVW FC from Gauteng are the reigning champions after lifting the trophy in 2019.

They defeated Ma-Indies of Limpopo 2-0 in the final of the Sasol League National Championships in Tsakane, Johannesburg.

Winners of the Sasol League National Championship (2009 – 2019)
• 2020: SEASON CALLED OFF (due to Covid-19)
• 2019: JVW FC (Gauteng)
• 2018: TUT Ladies (Gauteng)
• 2017: Bloemfontein Celtics Ladies (Free State)
• 2016: Bloemfontein Celtics Ladies (Free State)
• 2015: Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies (Gauteng)
• 2014: Cape Town Roses Ladies (Cape Town)
• 2013: Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies (Gauteng)
• 2012: Palace Super Falcons (Gauteng)
• 2011: Palace Super Falcons (Gauteng)
• 2010: Palace Super Falcons (Gauteng)
• 2009: Detroit Ladies (Mpumalanga)

For further information please contact:

SAFA: Head of Communications

Dominic Chimhavi

Email: dominic.chimhavi@safa.net

Mobile: +27 71 332 9886

Or

On behalf of Sasol:

Matlhomola Morake

Email: mmorake4@gmail.com

Mobile: +27 82 7444 919