As the new-look Hollywoodbets Super League gets underway this weekend, reigning champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies are preparing to begin their title defence against Diepkloof Ladies on Sunday at the Soweto Campus Stadium.
The fixture marks the start of a fresh chapter in South African women’s football following the introduction of the league’s revamped format, which now features two streams — Super Era and Super Rise. The Brazilians have been grouped alongside TS Galaxy Queens, University of the Western Cape, University of Johannesburg, Stellenbosch FC, University of Pretoria, Ezemvelo Women’s FC and Diepkloof Ladies.
After months of preparation, Sundowns Ladies are eager to finally return to competitive action. Veteran defender Lebohang Ramalepe admitted the squad is excited to get the campaign underway.
“I am excited about the start of the new season because our preparations were prolonged for quite some time, but I am happy that the league is finally about to begin this weekend. As players, there is always a different feeling once the season officially starts because all the hard work from training and pre-season preparations can finally be tested in competitive matches.”
Ramalepe also stressed that despite the excitement surrounding the new format, Banyana Ba Style remain focused on maintaining the Club’s identity and standards.
“We are well prepared as a team and we understand that defending the title will not be easy because every team always wants to perform well against us. However, at this Club, we believe in playing good football and remaining true to the philosophy and culture that have helped us achieve success over the years. We are not looking too far ahead because the most important thing is to take each match one step at a time, remain disciplined and continue improving throughout the season.”
Fellow defender Karabo Makhurubetshi believes the lengthy pre-season has helped the team sharpen up ahead of another demanding campaign.
“The preparation period was quite long, but I believe it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it gave us enough time to fully prepare ourselves as a team. We were able to work on many important areas of our game, improve our understanding on the field and continue building strong relationships within the squad.”
Makhurubetshi added that the new format will place even greater importance on consistency throughout the season.
“The new format will certainly present a different kind of challenge because the reduced number of matches means every game will carry even greater importance throughout the campaign. For us, the ambition has always gone beyond domestic success because we constantly strive to compete at the highest level on the African continent through the CAF Women’s Champions League. The league has always been an important platform for helping us build momentum, improve our competitiveness and prepare for the intensity of continental football, so it will be important for us to remain sharp, focused and consistent from the very beginning of the season.”
The match between Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies and Diepkloof Ladies will take place at Soweto Campus Stadium on Sunday, 24 May, at 15:00.
