The inaugural Hollywoodbets Super League awards ceremony for the 2021 season which was held in Sandton on Saturday night was dominated by Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies who achieved an unprecedented treble last season.
Coach Jerry ‘Kappa’ Tshabalala was named the Coach of the Season. Kappa cemented his name in the pantheon of great African coaches when he guided Sundowns Ladies to glory in the continent’s premier women’s tournament as well as clinching the Hollywoodbets Super League title and the COSAFA CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers title.
“I am very excited to have won this award. This accolade belongs to the team because we fought together last season and now we are reaping the rewards. I want to say a big congratulations to those who were nominated. Overall, we are not resting on our laurels and we are already looking ahead to next season. Like I keep saying, there is so much to achieve in the game of football, and as a team, we are gunning for more,” Kappa stated excitedly.
Thanks to her incredible defensive contributions, Bambanani ‘Juice’ Mbane was named as Player of the Season. Juice was part of a gritty defense that kept a whopping 21 clean sheets and conceded only 15 times across three competitions last campaign. Bambanani was also named among the ‘Squad of the tournament’ at the CAF Women’s Champions League which Sundowns finished as winners without conceding. Last month, Juice clinched the South African Football Journalist Association (SAFJA) Women’s Player of the Year.
Sundowns Ladies forward Andisiwe Mgcoyi was not left out of the celebration splash. The fleet-footed forward shared the top scorer award with Nompumelelo Nyandeni (JVW FC) after the pair finished the season with 27 goals apiece. Mgcoyi famously scored six times in the last game of the season as The Brazilians trounced Ma-Indies Ladies by 7-0 at the Bidvest Stadium.
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies was also named the Team of the Year. The Chloorkop-based side won 24 matches out of 26 games played, with just one draw. Coach Tshabalala’s troops also scored the highest number of goals with 87 strikes to their name, conceding just 14 times and finishing with a mammoth goal difference of +73, the best in the league.
A day later, Sundowns Ladies also won the Team of the Year at the second edition of the Gauteng Women in Sports Awards. Also, goalkeeper Sedilame Boseja brought home the Botswana Women’s Award.
A massive Congratulations to the Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies Team!!!
