Sinthumulekutama (SK) Ladies are in high spirits after their dream of reaching the provincial play-offs became a reality. The question that remains is whether they can make the grade at the national level.
As Stream A champions in the Limpopo Sasol Women's League, SK will face Stream B winners Ramatlaohle Ladies FC in the provincial play-offs at Seshego Stadium on Sunday. The winners will represent Limpopo in the national promotional play-offs later this month in KwaZulu-Natal.
This will be the second consecutive year the two teams meet in the play-offs. Last year, SK suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat against Ramatlaohle.
Asked about the team's readiness for Sunday's match, SK coach Dan Munyai said they were leaving no stone unturned to avoid a repeat of last year. "Just reaching the promotional play-offs has boosted the girls' confidence and motivation," he said.
Munyai added that their goal was to use the play-offs as a stepping stone to the SAFA National Women's League. He noted that finishing their league programme two months before the play-offs gave the team ample time to prepare for the big event.
He appealed to local football fans to rally behind the team and credited the success to a focus on young talent. "The Sinthumule and Kutama areas have an abundance of skilled players," he said. SK has already produced three players who represented South Africa in the National U/17 and U/20 women's teams: Judy Baloyi, Ambani Raphadana, and Maanda Ramadwa.