Chris Theko
Following a historic announcement made in 2020 to have an equal budget spending for both the men and the women sides, Kick4Life this week inked contacts with their female players.
Last year the club made a bold announcement that they would be having the same budget for their female and male teams and thus became the first top flight football club in the world to make such a commitment.
The Club’s Director of Football, Lepekola Seetane said this was a great milestone for the club.
“We are excited about this. It’s a sign that we are moving in the right direction towards achieving the long-term goals of Kick4life,” Lepekola said, adding that the club believes in giving equal opportunities for all.
Mankala Letsepe who joined the club last season expressed her excitement saying it was a very big moment in her life and for career.
“I am excited about this agreement with the club because it will help me grow in my academics, character behaviour as well as to represent the club well in the pitch,” she said.
Part of the contract covers scholarships for players who are still at school going age.
“Since joining the club in 2019, I have grown so much in terms of how I conduct myself because I learned that with Kick4Life, it is not only about playing football, but upliftment of other aspects of life, school included,” she said, indicating she has finished high school since joining the club.
The women’s team manager, Puky Ramokoatsi said that the move is a huge boost for women’s fight for equality in the game.
“We fight for equality, equal opportunities and resources, but when it comes to money it seemed to not be the case for a while now. This is a huge boost to changing that narrative,” Ramokoatsi said.
She mentioned that this will ensure that the same budget spent on the men’s team is spent on the women’s team.
“It will only depend on how the women’s side chooses to use it’s budget for instance, some players are young and still in high school, so we will be agreeing on things like paying their fees and catering for other needs. A similar discussion will be had with the senior players too.”
Ramokoatsi expressed her delight that some of the players who formed part of the team are still around to benefit from this as they have been part of it for years.
She further wished their former scholar and captain of the senior national women’s team Boitumelo Rabale all the best for her move to Mamelodi Sundowns.
“I wish most women football players can take example from Boitumelo Rabale for her character and perseverance which has led her to such opportunities like Mamelodi Sundowns which is a very big club in Africa,” she said.
