Amanda Dlamini: Women footballers should aim to become soccer bosses

Former Banyana Banyana midfielder Amanda Dlamini has said that women footballers need to think bigger in terms of occupations in football once their playing careers are over.

Not all ex-footballers remain in the game. For those who do, coaching is often the natural go-to next step in remaining within the sport.

Dlamini – a TV analyst for SuperSport – said she believes women footballers have more to offer to the sport post their playing careers than just coaching, such as potentially in club and national administration roles.

Dlamini said at a Nedbank Finance in Football Summit this week that programmes should be put in place to empower women’s footballers towards such high-profile future roles.

“I don’t feel like female footballers are exposed to so many programmes, and once we start exposing such programmes to them they will know that they are not just limited to being referees, coaches,” Dlamini said.

“We want to be analysts, we want to be technical directors – there is just so much we can still do in terms of football. So I think that the message should be that they are not restricted and confined to a certain career as everyone is expecting us to be after football.

“So I think people should generally open their doors and invest in women’s football.”

Dlamini emphasised that education plays a big part in soccer players’ lives when thinking of an occupation post-playing, especially for women’s footballers, who in South Africa still earn far less then men do.

“In the long run education plays a very big part in a soccer player’s life – it’s important that you have a solid background,” she said.

Dlamini said a professional on and off-field image can help women’s player’s maximise their income during and after their playing careers.

“I think a lot of work goes in while you are still active – how you represent yourself in terms of things that you do in your spare time, that for me plays a big part,” she said.

“I know that I might not make the same amount of money as my male counterparts, but I know that maybe as time goes on I will probably get certain endorsements from people who trust me to represent their brand. That is exactly how it happened to me.”

The former Banyana captain said women footballers face greater financial struggles than their male counterparts.

“I think a lot of people know the situation in terms of women’s football, where finance is still a concern. When it comes to women’s football, we are still struggling in that regard.”

Dlamini, who in 2012 found the Amanda Dlamini Girls Foundation aiming to provide basic help to girls in rural areas, is endorsed by a number of large corporates.