Highlands Park tackles Sundowns in a must-see GWDL showdown
Familiar contenders, the u17 Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies Team, appears to, once more, be the team to beat in the third iteration of the Gauteng Women’s Development League (GWDL).
They’re top of the league standings after eight matches. However, this year they face stiff competition from, among others, SAFA Academy and Highlands Park FC, who are proving to be strong challengers.
Sundowns has suffered just a single defeat to date, which came when they took on the SAFA Academy on 11 May.
The highly anticipated clash lived up to expectations as goals flowed in a fierce contest that culminated in a nail-biting 6-5 win for the SAFA Academy. After an incredibly entertaining and evenly contested game, their rematch later in the season is a can’t-miss contest.
Remarkably, that defeat was the first that Sundowns has suffered since the establishment of the GWDL by SAFA Gauteng, which serves to underline just how dominant the Brazilians have been.
Despite their recent loss, Sundowns is top of the log on 21 points. However, their lead is tenuous, The SAFA Academy also has 21 points but with a match in hand, and they remain unbeaten. They’re primed to take over at the top.
Highlands Park FC concluded the 2024 GWDL season in seventh place. In 2025, however, they’re far more consistent and have 20 points after nine matches.
On Sunday, they go up against Mamelodi Sundowns in the pick of the weekend’s GWDL games. Should Highlands Park beat Sundowns, they would move up to second place, possibly even first, depending on the result of the SAFA Academy’s match against Kempton Park at Bonaero Park on the same day.
Remember Elite Sport Academy (RESA), currently in fourth place, takes on the struggling Sporting CP at Hoërskool CR Swart.
It’s Sporting CP’s first season in the GWDL and it has been tough sledding for the newcomers thus far, with the side scoring only one win while losing seven times. RESA will head into the contest as hot favourites
JVW FC is another team with title aspirations. They’ve played six and won five, giving them 15 points. They meet Kenneth FC at Norkem Park High School and will be confident of picking up three points, with Kenneth FC scoring only two wins from their eight matches, which has them in 13th place ahead of the weekend’s encounter.
The University of Pretoria (Tuks), last season’s third-place finishers, are sixth in the standings. Tuks, though, are known for their resilience and competitiveness, and they remain a dangerous outfit.
They have 14 points and should RESA and JVW falter, a home victory over Tornado Academy Ladies would boost Tuks by a couple of places on the log.
Interestingly, the dynamics among JVW, RESA, and Tuks are reminiscent of last season, where the competition for the second, third, and fourth spots intensified towards the end of the season.
While Sundowns ran away with the title, JVW placed second, with 56 points. Tuks was third, on 54 points, and RESA ended fourth, with 50 points.
Refilwe FC began the season positively with some convincing wins, but they have since fallen to seventh place in the standings. But, as a young and developing team, they are still finding their footing, aided by the addition of experienced coaches like Claudia Raposo, who is the Director of Football at the club.
They’ve secured 13 points from 7 matches, achieving four wins, one draw, and two losses. Their opposition on Sunday is Dinoko Rondebuilt FC. The teams meet at Dan Kutumela School.
Panorama FC is also in action. They face off with Edenvale FC at the JP Bezuidenhout Stadium.
Sunday’s u17 GWDL matches are scheduled to start at 11:30.
GWDL Table
| Team/Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Mamelodi Sundowns | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 51 | 11 | 40 | 21 |
| 2 | SAFA Academy | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 6 | 40 | 21 |
| 3 | Highlands Park | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 20 |
| 4 | RESA | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 16 |
| 5 | JVW | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 15 |
| 6 | University of Pretoria (Tuks) | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 26 | -8 | 14 |
| 7 | Refilwe FC | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 7 | 17 | 13 |
| 8 | Kempton Park FC | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 21 | -3 | 12 |
| 9 | Tornado Academy Ladies | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 18 | -5 | 9 |
| 10 | Edenvale FC | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 19 | -5 | 8 |
| 11 | Dinoko Rondebuilt FC | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 25 | -11 | 7 |
| 12 | Panorama FC | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 22 | -15 | 7 |
| 13 | Kenneth FC | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 29 | -9 | 6 |
| 14 | Hellenic Falcons FC | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 40 | -32 | 6 |
| 15 | Sporting CP | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 23 | -21 | 3 |
FIXTURES
Bonaero Park
u15 – 10:00 – Kempton Park vs SAFA Academy
u17 – 11:30 – Kempton Park vs SAFA Academy
Norkem Park High School
u15 – 10:00 – JVW FC vs Kenneth FC
u17 – 11:30 – JVW FC vs Kenneth FC
Balfour Park
u15 – 10:00 – Highlands Park vs Mamelodi Sundowns
u17 – 11:30 – Highlands Park vs Mamelodi Sundowns
JP Bezuidenhout Stadium
u15 – 10:00 – Edenvale vs Panorama FC
u17 – 11:30 – Edenvale vs Panorama FC
Dan Kutumela School
u13 – 09:00 – Dinoko Rondebuilt FC vs Refilwe FC
u15 – 10:00 – Dinoko Rondebuilt FC vs Refilwe FC
u17 – 11:30 – Dinoko Rondebuilt vs Refilwe FC
Hoërskool CR Swart
u13 – 09:00 – Sporting CP vs RESA
u15 – 10:00 – Sporting CP vs RESA
u17 – 11:30 – Sporting CP vs RESA
University of Pretoria Football Fields (Hillcrest Campus)
u15 – 10:00 – Tuks vs Tornado
u17 – 11:30 – Tuks vs Tornado
