The decision to have either 12 or 16 teams participating in 2019’s planned women’s national soccer league will be finalised by mid-October, Safa president Danny Jordaan says.
In 2017, the Safa national executive committee (NEC) had endorsed a motion for the formation of a national women’s league in 2019.
Jordaan said the league would consist of the Sasol women’s regional league winners.
Mamelodi Sundowns and Bloemfontein Celtic would also be included in the league on the basis that they have been around and carry brand names that will help the league in bringing the club participation tally to 11 teams.
“The 12th team will come from the university women’s league championship,” Jordaan said.
“Whichever university wins this year will also be added.
“The NEC has two options – to finalise a league with 12 teams, or alternatively, to add another four teams to make it a 16-team league.
“In that case the four spaces will be offered to those teams playing in the premier league that have women’s teams.
“So, if Chippa United or any other team in the premier league would put up a women’s team, they will be added to make 16 teams.
“Those are the two proposals that will go to the NEC and they will take the final decision on the matter.”
Jordaan, 67, said the final decision would be taken by the middle of October.
Asked whether they had any sponsors lined up for the league, the president said: “All of those things are being worked on.
“We have asked Ria Ledwaba [Safa vice-president] to go on a tour of the country, which she has done, to consult each and every women’s structure and our own regional structures to build grassroots support.”
The former Nelson Mandela Bay mayor said the women’s national league will play a vital role in the development of women’s football in the country.
“We saw tremendous growth in the number of women playing football from 2012 to today.
“We went from 200,000 women footballers to over 550,000 players and by 2022 we want one million women footballers.
“We want women football to be the biggest women’s sport in this country.
“I think we are on our way there that [it] will be the biggest sport in the country. “So, growth is one thing. “The second thing is, we hope that the league will really strengthen the commercial support for women’s football – and not just women’s football but women’s sport in general.
“Businesses in South Africa will tend to support anything male and are not supporting women’s sport.”
Jordaan said the sponsorship issue was something that affected women’s sport in general and not just soccer.
He applauded Sasol for their continuous support of women’s football and said the company had been a huge contributor to Banyana’s success.
“We saw just the other day that Momentum withdrew their sponsorship from cricket.
“So, it’s still a problem but we hope through this women’s league and the support that will be there for women’s football we will be the first sport that will get meaningful support.
“I think Sasol has been tremendous. The Sasol League is the only structured league in this country for women’s football, there is no other structured league that women play on a weekly basis.
“Sasol has laid the foundation of Banyana’s success. We now have 10 players playing in the US and not forgetting that these women are at universities in the States.
“Some of them are doing their master’s degrees.
“The Banyana team is one of the highest qualified academically in this country.
“Most of the players have degrees and master’s degrees.
“We have quality on and off the field and we want these women to also serve women’s football.
“When we start the women’s league we are looking at former Banyana players to go and run that league because they have the qualification.”