90 Looking Forward
The Untold Story of Women’s Football in South Africa Author: Jos Dirkx Lindiwe Mkhize, right back for the U17 South African national women’s team, giggles nervously and asks, “Am I going to be on TV?” Six months later, her smiling face, sweet words and fighter spirit are indeed shared with a broad South African audience. Together with seven other players of the national team, the girls share stories about what football means to them. Fran Hilton-Smith, the manager of the South African team, and Desiree Ellis, Laureas Ambassador and ex player of Banyana Banyana, discuss the challenges that women’s sport faces in both South Africa, and the rest of the continent in “Can I Kick It?” which tells the untold story of women’s football in South Africa. The documentary brings to light the inequalities the girls and women face on and off the field, and highlights furthermore why it is significant that women play the male dominated sport. The players discuss how football has kept them away from drugs and alcohol, and has made them stronger and more determined to reach their goals.
Life for girls in South Africa is not easy. It is estimated that one girl is raped every fourteen seconds and that girls have a significantly lower chance of finishing their secondary education than boys because of teenage pregnancy and their role as care takers in society, and over 31% of women in South Africa are unemployed. These stories go unheard. In addition, the positive effect that sport has for these girls and women is also widely ignored. With the coming of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, there is no better time than now to invest in women’s development through sport. A gripping story of the state of football for women in South Africa, “Can I Kick It?” is a film dedicated to giving women who fight for change the credit and attention they deserve.
The Girls Meet “The Girls” Author: Sonia Bianchi The nervous smiles on every girl’s face struck me as unusual for our typically boisterous team of girls. Instead of greeting us with the usual noisy laughter and hugs, the girls quietly filed in two by two to the stadium, anxiously looking towards the field where the South African national women’s team, Banyana Banyana, was warming up. During the preparation for the African Women’s Championship, Banyana Banyana (which means “The Girls”) has attended several week long training camps in various locations in Stellenbosch. They worked hard throughout