Refilwe Ladies FC living the dream at IberCup
Matches in the 2008 age group at the IberCup South Africa girls’ competition have captivated fans and sparked surprise with unexpected outcomes highlighting the improving quality of women’s football in South Africa.
The age group has produced a range of astonishing results, disappointments, and unforgettable moments, with the Refilwe Girls’ Football Club (FC) being one of the teams at the forefront of the excitement.
Despite being established only recently, in January 2024, Refilwe Girls’ FC has already established itself as a noteworthy addition to girls’ football. The club’s focus is on fostering women’s football while ensuring that the young athletes are not subjected to excessive pressure.
Under the leadership of passionate football enthusiast, Lebo Ramodike, the club has made significant strides. After a challenging start to the competitive Gauteng Women’s Development League, Refilwe finished the season strongly. It also made a crucial move when it appointed the highly experienced Claudia Raposo as its Director of Football.
Mondli Dube, the GWDL Administrator, said he was pleased to witness Refilwe’s success: “Refilwe is one of those teams with a clear vision and they have a proper structure. I’m happy for them and I hope many GWDL teams are learning from them,” he said.
“They don’t only prioritise football, but they also prioritise education. I selected them to go participate in IberCup among the five other teams because I was impressed by their organisation. Not only do they have young and talented players but they have a goal. They are working towards something.
“Refilwe has done what no other team has done. Remember, this team is barely one year old. They keep on inspiring us. To the chairman Lebo and his team, keep pushing. I can’t wait to see what they’ve in store for us.”
SuperSport Schools Plus caught up with the club’s founder, Lebo Ramodike to talk about its IberCup experience.
Ramodike expressed his admiration for the young athletes, noting that Refilwe finished top of Group B with 10 points after three wins and one draw.
The progress his club had made since the beginning of the year is a source of pride for the club’s founder and the players.
Ramodike also told SuperSport Schools Plus that the club intends to establish an u13 team.
During the IberCup, he brought in three young players – Owami Zihlangu, Wandisile Legodi, and Siphesihle Khumalo – to experience the excitement of the event, despite not being part of the active playing squad. Although they are quite young, that trio has already participated in the GWDL with the u14 and u16 teams.
The idea behind the inclusion of the three players was to expose them to the club’s 2025 vision for u13s at the club. “We are going to be aggressive in the development of girls at a primary school level. We’re going to recruit more players,” Ramodike shared.
Ramodike said that it is important for them not to pressure young players. “I think [that with] saying development, we have less pressure on the players. Indirectly. they deliver results without [us] putting pressure on them.
“As soon as we start talking about results, results, results, the pressure increases, so, for us, we just want our players to enjoy football and learn, as we also learn from them.”
Michael Bender, the CEO of IberCup South Africa, expressed his admiration for the quality of women’s football showcased at the event. He noted that the level of play is impressive, with clubs like Refilwe flying their flag high
Bender said there is outstanding talent in South Africa and highlighted the importance of nurturing that talent within both the boys’ and girls’ ranks. He further expressed his satisfaction with the participation of over 20 girls’ teams in the IberCup.
While recognising the continuing improvement of girls’ football in South Africa, he remarked on the slight margins between some of the top teams, a viewpoint which was supported by a 1-1 draw between the formidable Mamelodi Sundowns and Tuks in a Group A fixture in the 2008 age group competition.
Sundowns entered the clash with a pressing need for victory, yet their Pretoria rivals were resolute in their efforts to disrupt the Brazilians’ ambitions, which ultimately led to Sundowns’ elimination from the gold semi-finals.
Tiro van Rooyen, the u17 Mamelodi Sundowns’ coach, who guided the Brazilians’ boys to the title in the Gauteng Development League (GDL) in November, was present to observe and support Sundowns in their match against Tuks. Following an unsatisfactory outcome for the GWDL champions, Van Rooyen discussed the IberCup South Africa with SuperSport Schools Plus.
“I think it’s an incredible experience, a good tournament as well. A lot of teams, different teams from around the country, and around the world,” he enthused.
Van Rooyen also praised the standard of women’s football, “The women’s teams or ladies football has grown immensely, so we’re busy watching Sundowns and Tuks, that’s an opportunity for us coaches to learn from them, because you learn every single day.”
He commended the performance of Sundowns’ ladies, despite their coming up short of the semi-finals, and also lauded the exceptional efforts of the Tuks’ defenders, especially their goalkeeper, who stood between ‘Downs and victory.
2008 AGE GROUP RESULTS
Saturday, 14 December
GROUP A
Tuks 2-0 JVW FC
Panorama FC 2-0 Kempton Park Ladies
Mamelodi Sundowns 1-1 Tuks
Group B
Refilwe Ladies 2-0 RCDE Academy Johannesburg
Dlala Ntombazane 1-0 Jabulile Secondary School
Refilwe Ladies 0-0 Tornado FC
Sunday, 15 December, Fixtures
Plate Semi-finals
13:20 – Field 17-I: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Jabulile Secondary School
13:20 – Field 19-J: RCDE Academy Johannesburg vs Panorama FC
Gold Semi-finals
17:40 – Field 1-A: Tuks vs Dlala Ntombazane
17:40 – Field 4-F: Refilwe Ladies vs JVW FC
