Our soccer analyst Bryan Naicker got the opportunity to interview one of South Africa’s brightest up-and-coming goalkeepers, Kgothatso Manamela, who aims to achieve her ambitions of transferring her form in the Hollywoodbets Super League for First Touch FC to earning a first call-up into the Banyana Banyana setup, and dreams of one day flying the South African flag proudly on the continental stage in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
Bryan: It’s a pleasure to finally have a conversation with you to educate myself more on the Hollywoodbets Super League, your club First Touch FC, but more importantly, Kgothatso Manamela, the footballer and the person…
I was trying to do my homework and found an article written on you by Clifton Mabasa last year, where it read that you were born in Limpopo and study at the University of Limpopo.
Kgothatso: Yes, I was born in Moletjie Ga Maribana, Limpopo and I’ve recently graduated – it’s been an enjoyable journey studying Medical Sciences at the University of Limpopo.
Bryan: That’s wonderful, you’ve already got your plan sorted for life after football. How is the quality of football at University of Limpopo?
Kgothatso: It was okay, I enjoyed my time in the team thoroughly and the opportunity helped me sharpen my skills.
Bryan: I was trying to search for matches that you may have featured for as University of Limpopo goalkeeper and came across a game where you were forced off in the 13th minute with an injury.
Kgothatso: Yes, I remember the match clearly and I was very disappointed for my teammates as University of Limpopo went on to lose 5-0 and I wanted to test myself against a quality UWC Ladies team.
Image credits: Denga Netshituka (@DengaNet)
Bryan: Most footballers dream of wearing number nine or 10 jerseys on their backs but being a former goalkeeper myself, I’d like to know how did you fall in love with becoming a goalkeeper?
Kgothatso: Actually, I was first a striker and I was forced to play goalkeeper on a few occasions because of my height, then I began to excel. It’s been six or seven years now that I’ve chosen to make this position my own. And as an ex outfield player, I’m very comfortable with my feet.
So, the task to find the best female players then becomes exponentially more difficult.
It’s an uphill battle to reach the top level. Where did your journey in football begin? And what did it take for you to reach the top level of football in South Africa?
Kgothatso: I started playing football while I was studying at Chechema Secondary School, and we had a very good team that went to Kwa-Zulu Natal to play in the Mayor’s Cup, then I joined a club called Cry Sport FC in the Sasol League before playing for First Touch FC.
Bryan: How much emphasis does First Touch FC put on defensive solidity and clean sheets, also which defenders are most vocal in the team and make you feel most comfortable in between the sticks?
Kgothatso: I’m a very vocal goalkeeper and command my area with my voice across the backline while our defenders’ voices control the players further ahead, in midfield and attacking areas. I’m always looking to find Mojapelo Mmaleako. We have serious pace in the team so I’m always keeping an eye on which could be the perfect area to launch a counter-attack further up the field as well.
Kgothatso: No, this season I don’t think we have any under-18 players in our first-team squad. But we do have a developmental team with our talented young stars playing in a Sasol League club called Copperbelt Ladies Football Club, who finished top in Limpopo.
Bryan: What are the greatest challenges you and your team had to face together last season?
Kgothatso: I think the greatest challenges we faced were travelling. We didn’t have enough funds to cater for our away games. For example, when we were coming from Limpopo to Durban, we had to take a taxi because we didn’t have money for flights. It takes a day to travel and arrive at our destination where we train for a while on the same day, then play our league fixture the next day, followed by another day of driving the day after.
There was a time towards the end of last season where we had congested fixtures of playing three times (Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday) in a week and we were doing a lot of travelling instead of proper preparation and resting for the next matches.
Kgothatso: Yes exactly, the team that has a proper foundation, has made investments in proper management staff. The players arrive fresh and happy on matchdays so definitely they have an advantage, but they are also a fantastic team with a lot of talent within their ranks.
Bryan: I’m going to try my best to raise awareness to these issues. If more players are saying that their teams are facing the same difficulties then we should draw up a plan that will help sustain and improve the level of the Hollywoodbets Super League.
My humble suggestion is having guest houses available near all HSL stadiums dedicated to accommodating visiting teams where players can rest properly and each team be given its own team bus. Last year, the Moroccan Football Federation gave minibuses to all 16 clubs participating in the Moroccan Women’s National League and maybe our national football governing body should copy their plan.
Bryan: She is an amazing person who continues to guide the next generation. Little girls now watch you on their screens, thank you for inspiring the next generation.
Kgothatso: Yes, I find myself in this position now and I need to rewrite history from Portia’s story, in my story, so at the end of all the hard work I’ll have something to show for it, unlike her. Portia’s journey paved the way for our sisters, and we can’t let it be forgotten.
Bryan: How is your club’s preseason preparations going and what are your goals this season in terms of a league finish?
Kgothatso: Everything is going well, we are playing friendly games every weekend in our preparations and so far so good. We are focusing on the new players to monitor how they are coping in the team. So, it’s going very well but early stages of our preparation were given to the new players because we already have a solid core of our squad. We finished in the top-five last year and the previous year top-four, so I’m hoping that we finish number one, the aim is going to represent South Africa in CAF competitions.
Kgothatso: This season there are 16 teams in the league, so we’re going to play 30 Hollywoodbets Super League matches and personally I’m aiming for 20 clean sheets. I will be the happiest if I can play every match to help my team.
Bryan: We’ll catch up soon, but before ending this conversation, I want to issue a challenge to you from Soccer Betting News.
We’ll set up a date where you and I take five penalties each, we’ll get our camera crew to record it and we’ll post the video on our social media pages. Loser buys lunch, do we have a deal?
Kgothatso: Yes, it’s a deal. We’ll make it happen when we see each other on a football pitch.
Bryan: I wish you the very best for the upcoming season and I hope your efforts are rewarded greatly. Thank you again for sharing your time with us.
By Bryan Naicker for Soccer Betting News