South Africa’s young women’s football team, Bantwana, is gearing up to play qualifying matches for the upcoming 2024 Under-17 Women’s Soccer World Cup in the Dominican Islands. The team has assembled to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers on 02 and 10 February 2024 against Ethiopia in Addis Ababa and Johannesburg, respectively.

UJ’s Senior Women’s Football Team Coach, Nthabeleng Modiko, joined the national team together with the UJ’s 2023 Club Sportsperson of the Year award winner, Adrielle Mibe. The pair form part of South Africa’s second round of qualifiers and will be looking to progress to the last round of qualifiers for the 2024 U17 Women’s World Cup.

Speaking on the team’s month-long preparations prior to their game in Ethiopia, Modiko said that the first week was taxing for the girls as they had to regain fitness following the festive break. “We are happy with their progress although we have encouraged them to work even harder because we have important fixtures very early in the year. We started with a bigger pool of players to ensure that we select the best players who would be fit to take on the opposition when the qualifiers start,” said Modiko.

“We have had fitness tests, and a few sessions where ball possession, small build ups and regrouping have been the main focus. We are confident that this 23-player team we have selected, is good enough to face our competitors and to represent the country well.”

Modiko also said that the management team is also ensuring that the players are up to date with their studies, with the start of the 2024 academic schools calendar. “We have a tutor in camp to ensure that players are not only focused on football, but also mentally get back into the classroom. Their education is just as important,” she said.

The 2024 U17 Women’s World Cup will take place from 16 October to 3 November. This will be the first time that the Dominican Republic has hosted a FIFA tournament. The capital, Santo Domingo, will be the sole venue of the competition.