"The women’s game in Africa has seriously evolved. Five or six years ago, when we were still playing, things were different. Today’s players enjoy more financial incentives, programs, and better opportunities."

"We’re deliberately stifling the growth of women’s football while boys' youth programmes and senior competitions keep getting the mileage and recognition. It does feel like women’s football is on its own."

"All the players who are based abroad are ambassadors and we need to set good examples and standards for those that are back home or those that will follow in our footsteps, so yes there is a lot of pressure on all of us – but it is the kind that motivates us to well and represent our country in a most outstanding way. To be honest, I am excited and nervous at the same time – excited about the move, but also nervous that I am going to a new country, which means new beginnings. This is a really a dream come true"

"You don’t have to leave where you’re from. Access and opportunities should come to you, to elevate your career and give you a chance. Leaving home wasn’t easy; leaving my parents behind and chasing this football dream. But when I made it, my life changed."

"The first game is where you push. No matter what happens, how bad the result or score is, but if you push in the first game, that’s when you’ll realise you can push in the second as well."

"I managed to get into university because of football."

"I think showcasing our talent and competing on a global stage will definitely bring positive change into the sport."

"I’ve never doubted myself, but I never thought I’d be here this soon!"

"I had good mentors around me."

"I think when you go there, you must be brave and be tough. When you start to be nervous and you see players who have long been playing in the World Cup, you won’t cope."

"It’s not easy playing with a target on your back."

"The way I loved football, I just wanted to be around the football pitch; I would ref sometimes."

"I am a firm believer that discipline, hard work, and passion are the best form of ingredients for a player to last as long as I have in the game."

"For me, personally, no one has the audacity to come and tell me when I should retire because that person was not there when I started playing football."

"Choose your friends but focus on yourself and believe in yourself. So that is most important if you believe in yourself, no one can take that from you."

"You know, that’s why I say hard work pays off. Just keep working. God will answer your prayers and just keep praying."

"When the young girls watch us on television they tell their parents, I want to play like Mpumi Nyandeni or Portia Modise… Thanks to the SABC and Hollywoodbets our games are now on television, if they can’t go to the stadium they can still see us and they know they can still watch women’s football. This will inspire them to play soccer because they are now able to see us and in that way, we inspire them to achieve their dreams and even achieve more than we have."

"I will say to the young, upcoming footballers, they need to work hard, stay disciplined and carry themselves (well). What is important is how to carry yourself and don’t forget to pray and work hard, because your hard work, is going to pay off. So they need to work hard and leave the friends that have bad habits."

"I will retire when my body is no longer able to carry me. I will retire on my own accord."

"I just take every day as a new opportunity for me to be a better player and give the best I can towards the game."

"I want to help develop young girls -- and not necessarily [only] young girls, but players in general, and just share my expertise and my knowledge that I have gained over the years to other female football players."

"Soccer became my escape and comfort."

"I didn’t even think that I would reach 100, never mind 150. I was just playing soccer and representing my country. I was just doing what I love. I didn’t even expect that one day I will be one of the most capped players in senior women’s football. I was just playing soccer, being a girl from a rural area, just doing what I love, that’s why I said I feel blessed that I am amongst those legends in Africa."

"Football is my world – without it, there’s little else for me. My passion for the game is boundless, and I aim to keep playing for as long as I can. That’s how deep my love for football runs."

"I’m proud of myself because I never thought that I would be where I am today."

"It is a dream for all African players to come to Europe and play football, so it is a dream come true that I am now standing here in Farum."

"There is nothing like family support for me. Family is everything."

"The challenge of not being prioritised and empty promises still lingers because we still treat this team like or as an afterthought."

"Any athlete will tell you that. It’s all about sacrifices and hard work and dealing with disappointment and all kinds of failures."

"Most of all what has kept me alive is my passion and love for the game."

"Without this sport I am not sure where life would’ve taken me. Everything I am and have achieved is through this beautiful game."

"No road to success is smooth."

"The core principle of the dream was to create opportunities for girls of all ages to play football in a comfortable environment, where each player is encouraged and motivated to participate and give their best according to their ability."

"When I was younger, there were many times when I felt isolated and not part of the team because I am a woman. There have been so many barriers but I have continuously let my passion and my love of the game shine through."

"You know, when you see yourself being able to compete against boys you automatically become confident in yourself as a girl."

"I started playing from a young age with the boys who moulded me into a strong and bold woman. They shaped me into what I am today and to stand out among the rest."

"White girls played hockey and netball but my love was always football."

"The nearest women’s team I could play for was in a township and as the only white girl it was difficult at first. I had to learn a different culture and background and a whole different language of the game. I had never seen such living conditions in my life. Some of the girls didn’t have any shoes or football boots and I was getting football boots every second or third month. It made me realise how privileged I was and what I had."

"At first it was really difficult to fit in. The boys wouldn't pass me the ball, they didn't accept me into the team so I was kind of isolated from everything."

"As a footballer it’s also important to have a purpose besides things on the field."

"Nothing worth having comes easy and I worked hard to make my dream a reality."

"Women are powerful and strong."

"Being where I am now is definitely a dream come true – something I’ve been working towards for years. So, it’s quite fulfilling."

"The reason I continued was the determination of wanting to do well. I knew I had it in me to be a good player. I wasn't weak, I could kick a ball and I just loved playing the game."

"I think the lesson for us is that if we put the badge first and remember the people on ground who support us. That is what pushes us as a team. We are just taking lessons from the previous experiences, and just want to do it for the badge and for the people."

"I think, one thing about experience is that you can't buy it, you need to earn it, and being part of this tournament earned that experience for the team, and the individuals to show what we're made of in South Africa and the type of skills and players we have."

"It’s every player’s dream to play in the World Cup. Everyone that is here is trying to find their ticket to the World Cup."

"Grassroots football is so important."

"I do not only represent my team or just my family, but I also represent kids from back home."

"“It’s very important for us to achieve things and make history for the next generation. When they come here, they must know they can’t take things for granted and need to work for the nation."