Buzzapp Master 
Banyana Banyana defender Thato Letsoso has called on more corporates to invest in the grassroots structures of women’s football, and not just focus at the top.
(Richard Huggard/Gallo Images)
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies’ Thato Letsoso doesn’t want to see more girls going through the same struggles as her peers and those who came before them. The defender has urged sponsors to invest in women’s grassroots structures and not just at the top, so that the country’s game will grow. Letsoso is part of the Sundowns’ team that will play in the Women’s Cup in the United States, featuring Kansas City, Atletico Madrid of Spain and Japan’s Vissel Kobe. For more women’s football news, go to the News24 dedicated soccer page.Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies’ Thato Letsoso wants to see the next generation of women in football not having the same challenges that she and those who came before her experienced in their journey to the top.
Letsoso, like many women who rose from the amateur ranks right up to Banyana Banyana, started playing football with boys as there were no girls’ teams where she grew up.
The Bloemfontein-born defender got her first taste of structured football when she was scouted to study at TuksSport High School at the High-Performance Centre in the University of Pretoria in 2011.
The school – which houses the South African Football Association’s girls soccer academy – has nurtured more national team players than any structure in the country.
It was the brainchild of former Banyana coach and icon of women’s football, Fran Hilton-Smith, designed to make up for the lack of institutions that develop girls in the beautiful game.
READ | ‘Gundi’ Dhlamini has scaled heights Banyana players before her only dreamt of … yet wants more
In 2019, the school boasted having two of its then current students – Sibulele Holweni and Karabo Dhlamini – part of the Banyana squad that made history at the FIFA Women’s World Cup by becoming the first South African senior national team to reach the knockout stage of the global showpiece.
Letsoso’s time at the school helped her break into the national Under-17 and Under-20 sides. She graduated to Banyana and even captained the side at the 2022 Cosafa Women’s Championship.
Despite the growth of women’s football – with South Africa currently home to two reigning African champions, Banyana who conquered the continent and Banyana Ba Style who lifted the CAF Women’s Champions League last year – there is still little invested in its grassroots structures.
The Sasol Women’s League, with 144 teams in the country’s nine provinces, helps in the identifying of talent from all corners of the country.
The Hollywoodbets Super League – the 16-team national semi-professional league – is a bridge between the amateur ranks and Banyana.
But the gap between the Sasol League and the Super League is massive, while the gulf in class between the national league and international football – especially the elite who make up the World Cup – is massive, as has been shown by Banyana’s struggles against top European opposition.
“The growth of women’s football is a step in the right direction. I just wish that we could invest in local football structures,” said Letsoso.
“You only get exposure when you play for Banyana Banyana, because the funding and attention is concentrated at the top. Not everyone is privileged to represent the national team, which means, for them, there are some things that will never improve in their careers.
“That is the only time where we really get to play international friendlies and travel outside the country. We need to start [investing] locally first, and then go up from there. That means sponsors have to come through as well.”
Thato Letsoso, who will be part of the Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies’ squad that will feature in the Women’s Cup, says the club is going to the United States to win the tournament. (Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies/Supplied)
Letsoso, who joined Sundowns in 2023, benefited from the university’s structures where women who aren’t lucky enough to go to TuksSport High School develop. But the 27-year-old, who played for the University of Pretoria and Tshwane University of Technology before coming to Chloorkop, feels that is too late.
“Development is the most important thing when it comes to football,” she said.
“If we focused a lot on development, it would be a lot easier for the next generation to be attracted to football and grow quickly with better conditions than what some of us had to overcome to be here.
“There is really no structure and development at grassroots, many kids really start playing structured soccer in varsity. That is actually quite late. If we had proper structures, and proper development – then a lot of things would be better.
“A lot of us are just here because of our talent. A lot of teams don’t have gyms, there are no salaries, and many players have to support their football careers by also working in other sectors so as to make money.
“If we could invest more at the bottom, then we would see top, top performances and talent rising up and the next generation would not struggle like we did.”
ALSO READ | SAFA boss Jordaan ‘forgets’ how much SABC deal is worth as 32-year partnership gets another 4 years
Most of that talent in South Africa is found at Sundowns, with the Tshwane club investing a lot of money to make their women’s team the best on the continent.
The club has the kind of resources that have made footballers coming back from Europe, like Lebogang Ramalepe and Bambanani Mbane, join Sundowns as no other team can take care of them financially like Sundowns can.
That investment has led to the club reaching to Champions League finals and winning the competition on two occasions.
Their success, as well as ties to American entertainment company Roc Nations, led to the club being the first African side to take part in the Women’s Cup in the United States. Sundowns will take part in the Kansas leg of the 2024 edition that will be played in Missouri.
TWC Kansas City tournament bracket is set ????
Here’s the details to know before you go ↓
??August 14th:
???Game 1: 5pm CET
???Game 2: 8pm CET
??August 17th:
???Game 1 (3rd + 4th place): 5pm CET
???Game 2 (Championship): 8pm CET pic.twitter.com/uBDu7lcHb5
— The Women’s Cup (@thewomenscup) June 21, 2024Letsoso and her teammates will take on hosts Kansas City on Wednesday, while Spain’s Atletico will square off with Japan’s Vissel Kobe. The winners will fight for the title on 17 August with the losers battling for bronze on the same day.
“It’s the first time that an African team gets invited to a tournament like this, so there is obviously excitement and nervousness, but we have done well in terms of preparation,” said Letsoso.
“We have adjusted to sleeping times and patterns that we are going to experience when we are in the USA, including the weather.
“Our biggest objective is to win it. We are not there just to add the numbers, participate or gain experience. But we want to dominate. That’s what we do, we dominate! We will take each game as it comes, and just win.”
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings