Queens Of the Continent!
It’s fair to say that Mamelodi Sundowns has been a dominant force in the so-called “PSL era” dominating the league and growing their tally in cup competitions. If their dominance of the local league wasn’t enough they set their sights on continental and global domination. They have been a regular feature on the continental scene and this has leapfrogged them into the continental footballing elite.
It would be easy to simply put this to resources only, a chairman with deep pockets and an “open checkbook”. On the surface, this might seem the case but if that was their case their crosstown rivals would also be dominating on the continent considering their sizeable sponsorship kitty. So evidently there is more to it than meets the eye.
Any institution that seeks to make an impact, especially on the sporting front needs to have visionary leadership and ambitions backed by a long-term strategy. This, coupled with hiring the right people to execute the plan puts you in a great position to give yourself a fair chance.
The Motsepe Factor:
As mentioned above even the loftiest ambitions need sizeable investment and great leadership. Since the Motsepe family took over the reins from the Tsichlas family in 2004 the vision has been continental and global domination. The dream was to become a global brand and this has slowly taken shape. On top of being a big player in the men’s game, the club saw an opportunity in the women’s game and chose to set the trend there as well.
Led by a young chairman with a global worldview and an understanding of where the global game is going, ?the club is well-positioned to deliver on this promise. They have partnered with the right global partners in RocNation Sports who understand the landscape and can add value to their global sporting ambitions. Understanding that you don’t necessarily know it all is something other club owners in South Africa could learn from.
From the onset one of the goals that the owners put front and center is that their women’s team will be a formidable force on the continent.
Banyana Ba Style:
As a fan of football documentaries much was said about this one and we thought let’s let the hype mellow and see it for ourselves. This story follows the story of Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies', and their journey in the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League. It follows the team and tells the story of woman’s football through their eyes. It’s a story of a country with all its complexities told through the eyes of these players, the coach, and the Chairman.
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The story of women’s football can be a tragic one if one considers the stories of legends like Portia Modise and the first generations of Banyana, it is still a long way as the current pace of change seems to demonstrate. It is miraculous to consider that the women’s national team achieves so much with so little support from corporate South Africa and the government. The lack of support from communities, civil society, business, and government is disgraceful!
If we call ourselves a sports-loving nation we should be ashamed of the lack of support we demonstrate especially the women’s side of the game. If we are honest, Banyana-Banyana has a much better likelihood of winning a World Cup than the Men’s team. We simply need to create the right ecosystem.
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Through this documentary, one sees the strides Sundowns Ladies has made over the years, through very trying circumstances. The development structures that owners have created and the integration of the women into the Sundowns family, having access to the same facilities as the men, and being one of the few clubs where players get paid is a small step in the right direction.
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Although the salaries aren’t anywhere near the men’s team, through the documentary there is a clear challenge and call to action for all those concerned to genuinely support the game. Sundowns cannot carry the whole ecosystem by themselves, it's simply not sustainable. An interesting thing to consider is the lack of media coverage of women’s football. As Mpumi Manyisi points out even pitching a story is a hard sell. The media can be such a massive ally when it comes to the game it is simply inexplicable why some in the media do not see value in women's football, despite the evident potential the women’s game has achieved.
The Doccie:
The story itself is well-shot by the team at Fell and Company led by the director Caroline Brouckaert . Every football-loving fan from Phillipi to Giyani can be proud of this film. As much as it has the usual emotive nuances of a sporting documentary there is an authenticity to it that one hardly experiences in sporting films.
This ground-breaking collaboration ?between Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. , Netflix , Fell and Company will hopefully spark something beyond a conversation about women’s football but open the door to action toward a thriving football ecosystem.
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The Road Ahead:
Outside of the journey that Sundowns Ladies is moving forward toward there are a few key things that need to be considered if women’s football is to grow and fulfill its potential;
The points above lay the foundation for an appropriate ecosystem for a formidable national team. I am afraid that currently we are found wanting in many areas. If our national team still has to fight for wages weeks and days before a World Cup we have bigger problems than we think.
Massive credit needs to go Tlhopane Motsepe , Fell and Company , Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. , Roc Nation , and Netflix for this groundbreaking collaboration. Something that strikes me about African sports is that we don't particularly do a great job of documenting the stories. So it is refreshing that we can go orating the tales and capturing these stories so they can be shared for generations to come.
Until Next Week!
#TheMatchUpTV
Fact: *Our first episode as a channel was on women's football! So we not just jumping on a wave.
#football SuperSport #womensport Showmax #PSL T+W Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF)
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Founder and CEO at Fell + Company.
10 个月Thank you for this Sive - great to see this project resonating with people. Analysis of what is working (and why) is so valuable and I really hope to see all independent media in the sporting landscape growing in SA.