A 33-year old female football coach from Mafarana village, outside Tzaneen, Limpopo, has dedicated her life to coach young boys and girls.
Nkhensani Shipalana holds a South African Football Association (SAFA) level D soccer coaching licence. She coaches children aged between 6 and 15 years at a local sport fields.
Shipalana’s team Xigoloza Rangers Football Club participates in SAFA’s Amateur development league.
She is an amateur soccer player herself having turned up for various teams in the area.
Shipalana says she wants to create a healthy recreational activity for young people in order to rid her community of social ills.
She says, “I’m trying to do something for my community by helping the young ones to achieve their goals, fulfil their dreams and not be on drugs. On the other hand, I don’t want the the girls to be having kids at the early ages.”
Meanwhile, some Xigoloza Rangers FC players say the sport has helped them become more disciplined.
“This helps us so much, to strengthen our muscles and makes our bodies healthy. So we love this. It makes us behave and stay healthy in our bodies and do not steal [amongst] other things.”
“Playing football around here helps us to avoid [associating with] crook people on the road. We play soccer but also we can exercise our muscles.”
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