Nompumelelo Nyandeni, a seasoned midfielder for TS Galaxy Ladies in the Hollywoodbets Super League, recently embarked on a memorable journey to Spain, courtesy of the league sponsor, after clinching the top goalscorer award. In an exclusive interview with Box2BoxDiski blog, the 36-year-old shared her experiences and aspirations for the upcoming season.
Reflecting on her trip to Villarreal FC, where they trained with the Yellow Submarines ladies team and witnessed the men’s team in action against La Liga’s Cadiz FC, Nyandeni expressed her admiration for the infrastructure and training methodologies. She highlighted the intensity of the sessions, emphasizing the focus on one-two touch football and small-sided games.
“The trip was great, you know we learn everyday and for me this trip gave me another insight as to where we are in football as a country, these guys have their own facilities where they train and play their games aside from the mens team. The training sessions here are intense and they focus more on small sided games and their philosophy is one-two touch football.”
Despite finishing fourth in the inaugural season, Nyandeni remains optimistic about Galaxy Queens’ prospects. She acknowledged the challenges faced, particularly with traveling, but emphasized the team’s determination to improve and aim for a top-two finish in the upcoming season.
“ Remember our team was new, we had to make sure we gel as a team, it took sometime but finishing in the top five was an achievement. We had challanges like any sport, mostly its the travelling but i hope this coming season we will do well.We busy with pre season, we want to do well, our aim is to finish in the top two and that would mean we are improving.”
Addressing the dominance of Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies in the league, Nyandeni acknowledged the gap between Sundowns and other teams, attributing it to the professional environment and investment in women’s football. She emphasized the need for other teams to follow suit and prioritize football to bridge the gap.
“Look Sundowns is on another level, it will take long for teams to catch up. Their players are threated as proffesionals, some of us go to work and then training later but in Chloorkop football is the main focus so until teams realise that they must invest in womens football, we still have a long way to fight and catch up to them but its not something that is impossible.”
With just one cap away from reaching 150 appearances for Banyana Banyana, Nyandeni expressed her desire to achieve this milestone. She remains hopeful for a call-up from Coach Desiree Ellis, citing her continued dedication, stellar performance, and goal-scoring prowess for her club as reasons why she deserves the opportunity.
“I still hope Coach Desree Ellis will call me so i can get that one elusive cap. I am sure you can see that i am still active, training very well and scoring goals for my club, so its up to the coach at the end of the day to call me up and get my 150”
As Nyandeni continues her football journey, her passion, dedication, and determination serve as inspirations for aspiring footballers and advocates for the growth of women’s football in South Africa.
