Pretoria clubs lead GWDL standings, JVW and Panorama just off the pace
Pretoria clubs have led the way in the early weeks of the Gauteng Women’s Development League (GWDL) this season, with Refilwe, the University of Pretoria (Tuks), and the reigning champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, at the top of the standings after four matches.
Refilwe’s ascent has been rapid. Their success has been built upon effective coaching and a robust scouting programme, from player recruitment to administrators.
The club’s chairman, Lebohang (Lebo) Ramodike, has established a strong and growing presence in Pretoria, demonstrating a commitment not merely to participating but to competing at the highest levels.
Founded in 2024, the club has benefitted from the leadership of the experienced Claudia Raposo, who serves as the Director of Football.
Their trajectory continues to point upwards, even after a challenging first season in the GWDL, which was fraught with challenges. Since then, Refilwe has become a GWDL contender, and last year the club finished in third place in 2025, behind only the SAFA Academy and Banyana Ba Style, who claimed the title.
Together with Sundowns, Refilwe participated in the u17 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Girls Integrated Football Tournament (GIFT) in December, with Sundowns winning the tournament in Zimbabwe.
While the Brazilians’ experience and class shone through, Refilwe experienced some challenges at the CAF GIFT Tournament, but those challenges will, no doubt, have provided valuable lessons from which the club will benefit.
Four matches into the 2026 season, Refilwe has a perfect record of four wins from four matches, scoring 36 goals while conceding only four.
However, despite their massive goals’ difference of plus-32, they’ve been unable to rest comfortably at the top. Tuks are just behind them, with Daniella Human, who started their campaign with seven goals on the season’s opening weekend, leading the way.
Tuks are also four from four, while the title-holders, Sundowns, have nine points but have a game in hand. They’ve been both prolific and miserly, scoring 25 goals while conceding none. In their last match, at the end of March, they inflicted a stunning 20-0 defeat on the Remember Elite Sport Academy (RESA).
It has been a harsh start to the season for RESA, despite their previous status as a top competitor in earlier editions of the GWDL. A week before their massive defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns, they were thumped 19-0 by Refilwe.
Unsurprisingly, given the size of those defeats, RESA is at the bottom of the standings, having lost the three matches they have played thus far.
JVW, traditionally a title contender, is in fourth place, with nine points, while Panorama occupies fifth spot, also with nine points.
This weekend, JVW travels to Vereeniging to face the struggling RESA at President Park. Despite RESA’s poor start to the season, JVW might find their opponents to be tougher than they appear, with the home side likely to receive strong backing from their loyal supporters.
The log leaders, Refilwe, face Black Diamonds Sports at the Kagiso Stadium. Sundowns will aim to keep up the pressure on Refilwe with a win over TS Galaxy at the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ), while Tuks plays Kenneth.
In other fixtures, further down the table, Chadi Puse Ladies meet Hellenic Falcons, and Tornado Academy Ladies host Panorama at the Meyerton Grounds. Dinoko Rondebult takes on Edenvale.
While scoring has not been an issue in the GWDL, defence remains a concern for many teams. This weekend, defence will be to the fore as strikers lick their lips and defenders brace themselves to meet the challenge.
GWDL Standings
| POS | Academy/Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 1 | Refilwe | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 4 | 32 | 12 |
| 2 | Tuks | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 12 |
| 3 | Mamelodi Sundowns | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 9 |
| 4 | JVW | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 9 |
| 5 | Panorama | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| 6 | Kenneth | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 6 |
| 7 | Black Diamond Sports | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 6 |
| 8 | TS Galaxy | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 13 | -7 | 4 |
| 9 | Chadi Puse Ladies | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 4 |
| 10 | Edenvale | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | -4 | 1 |
| 11 | Hellenic Falcons | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 12 | -9 | 1 |
| 12 | Dinoko Rondebult | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
| 13 | Tornado Academy Ladies | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 0 |
| 14 | RESA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 41 | -41 | 0 |
u17 GWDL FIXTURES: Sunday, 12 April
Kagiso Stadium
11:45 – Black Diamond Sports vs Refilwe
Meyerton Grounds
11:45 – Tornado vs Panorama
American International School of Johannesburg
11:45 – TS Galaxy vs Mamelodi Sundowns
University of Pretoria Sports Campus, LC De Villiers
11:45 – Tuks vs Kenneth
Transoranje School for the Deaf
11:45 – Chadi Puse Ladies vs Hellenic Ladies
President Park
11:45 – RESA vs JVW
