DAVEYTON — Banyana Banyana will take on Zimbabwe in the second international women’s football friendly match to be played on Saturday at the Sinaba Stadium in Daveyton.
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The 24 locally-based players called up for the Banyana Banyana camp have all undergone the fitness and assessment tests that took place at the Wits training grounds in Johannesburg on May 31.
Banyana Banyana coach Joseph Mkhonza has described the mood in camp as inspirational and believes that he will be able to select a strong squad for the upcoming friendly matches.
“This camp has started off on a good footing. The atmosphere is electric, there is healthy competition between them and the new players are fitting in well as the regular players are welcoming the new ones to the national team set-up,” said Mkhonza.
Mkhonza believes that after the fitness tests and training sessions on Friday and Saturday, players called up for the national team will know what is expected from them when they get to camp. The coach has also noticed an improvement in the fitness levels of many of the players and he contributes this to the growing competition in the Sasol League.
“This also means that clubs in the Sasol League are doing a great job in developing these players and ensuring that players are well conditioned by the time they get to the national team camps as these are the players we will look at to make a contribution to the national team. We would also like to form strong communication channels with these coaches through the upcoming Sasol League road shows for the growth and progression of our national team,” said Mkhonza.
After the training session on Sunday, the coach will select 21 players who will travel to Nelspruit for the match against Mozambique on June 9. After the Mozambique game, Mkhonza will further reduce the squad to 18 players ahead of the second friendly against Zimbabwe.
