A new football tournament has brought excitement and encouragement towards the development of women football in Mkhondo. The inaugural Mphazima Funeral Services Cup wrapped up with an exciting final between Mkhondo City Stars and Shining Stars Ladies FC in front of a modest crowd at the Mandla Magudulela Stadium, Thandukukhanya on Monday 1 May 2023. Mkhondo City Stars defeated Shining Stars Ladies 5-1 to claim the inaugural trophy.
The girls under 17 division tournament played using group and knockout format with eight (8) clubs from the Mkhondo Girls U15 League. A total of 72 goals were scored in 16 matches played at the three (3) day tournament. The eventual champions scored the majority of goals (27), which included an 8-0 win against Shining Stars Ladies FC and Junior United Ladies FC at the group stages. They also cruised to the final with a 6-0 victory against General Zebras Ladies FC in the semifinals.
“We can see that you love playing soccer. Mphazima Funeral Services will continue to support you until you develop further,”
Shining Stars Ladies FC lost 5-1 in the final against the champions, but they went home proud of their display. In the final, they showed determination and bravery against a side that gave them an 8-0 thrashing at the group stages. The club avoided a huge loss and managed to score a goal in the final against the well-developed Mkhondo City Stars FC under the guidance of Mr. Thembela Mdluli. Shining Stars Ladies FC young coach Phumlani ‘Zage’ Ngwenya was full of praise for the girls even though they lost in the final. “We played well even though we lost by so many goals. We saw improvement from the 8-0 loss against a well-developed team. We will continue to train and improve our team in the league,” he said looking dejected.
Harmony Ladies FC finished on 3rd place after a 2-1 win against General Zebras Ladies FC in the 3rd place playoff match. Harmony Ladies lost a chance to appear in the final after losing 2-1 in the semi-final against Shining Stars Ladies FC. Local football fans and administrators alike felt somewhat happy and relieved to see the team back in action barely a month after losing their coach and mentor, the legendary Mr. DJ Mshololo. The team is now coached by his son and PR Barcelona player Hope Mshololo.
The clubs and players immediately received their awards after the final match. There was a mini competition for the fans and participants presented by Mphazima Funeral Services officials Miss Ndlangamandla and Miss Ncamisile Zwane just before the prize giving commenced. They gave away sweets and chocolates to the fans who managed to answer questions about the company.
The football association will be starting the Mkhondo Promotion League for the women division in June this year.
The managing director of Mphazima Funeral Services, Miss Sinethemba Ndlangamandla, promised to continue assisting women football development by staging more tournaments in the future. “We are happy to be here to watch and support girls’ playing soccer. We can see that you love playing soccer. Mphazima Funeral Services will continue to support you until you develop further,” she said to a loud applause from the players. Miss Ndlangamandla proceeded to present the awards to the individual players and the clubs.
The champions Mkhondo City Stars FC were the big winners at the prize giving ceremony scooping almost all the awards. The first individual award went to Zanethemba Dlamini for winning the goalkeeper of the tournament award. Lindo Mabaso and Harmony Ladies FC striker Mpilo Malinga both won the joint top scorer award. The two goal-getters each scored eight (8) goals in 5 matches. Young midfielder Mbalenhle Mabasa won the player of the tournament award.
The champion coach, Mr. Thembela Mdluli, won the coach of the tournament award. In a spirit of sportsmanship, the winning coach decided to give his award to one of the joint top goal scorers. It was a good gesture from Mr. Mdluli, who is also responsible for women development as the Women Football Committee Chairperson under the Mkhondo Local Football Association.
The girls will now go back to playing league football on Saturdays. The tournament has also encouraged the participating clubs to start a senior league in Mkhondo which will probably be joined by new clubs. The football association will be starting the Mkhondo Promotion League for the women division in June this year.