Kaizer Chiefs have launched a women’s team, Chiefs Ladies, and will participate in the Sasol League, the second tier of South African women’s football. The club launched the team at Brima Cafe in Daveyton, on the East Rand. Brima Logistics was confirmed as the first sponsor of the new side.
Building From the Ground Up
Kaizer Chiefs sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr explained the club decided to establish a women’s team from scratch, rather than buy a Hollywoodbets Super League side. Motaung said starting from the Sasol League level was deliberate. He said the women’s game has its unique challenges, and the Sasol League is no exception, so they want to grow and learn in that space. He added that in the Sasol League you learn a lot of things very quickly.
Motaung stated it’s a very proud moment for the club, and it’s been a long time coming. He feels it’s an important step for a club of their size.
Sponsorship and Support
Brima MD Matsietsi Mekoa said the company had approached Amakhosi to be the women’s team sponsor. Mekoa said they approached Chiefs because they’ve always wanted to support football. Mekoa explained that in the logistics industry, you have big companies that sponsor rugby and cricket, so they felt soccer is predominantly a black sport, so they felt it was a good fit for who they are. It was important for them as an institution to go in this direction.
Mekoa is hoping that they can encourage other companies to come in, even those that are bigger than them. Mekoa believes this is a co-operative effort to get these girls to reach the global stage.
Squad Details and Coaching
The new Chiefs Ladies squad consists of 24 players. Former Banyana Banyana midfielder Mamello Makhabane and junior internationals Zanele Kunyamane and Katlego Mohale headline the list.
Coached by Caf A-badge holder Unathi Mabena, Chiefs Ladies will play their home matches at the Kaizer Chiefs Village and KwaThema Stadium in Springs.
Last year, Chiefs adopted Sasol League side Spring Home Sweepers as their women’s team. The collaboration was aimed at helping Amakhosi meet a Confederation of African Football (Caf) requirement that clubs competing in intercontinental tournaments must have a women’s team.