"But at the end of the day, you don’t do things to please people but to please yourself and for your well-being and what you think is the best for you. At the end of the day, it’s about you."

"No matter who you are or where you come from, have confidence in yourself and follow your path. Rise above your circumstances – never let them define where you can or want to end up."

"I had to make time management one of my main practices and prioritize my studies before my football, because I was a student before being a soccer player. Discipline, dedication and hard work – these are some the traits that helped me balance my football and studies."

"It depends on the coach. Every player and every coach has their own preference. So, if the coach prefers a certain player you won't make the team. In South Africa when you reach 30, they think you are old."

"We are not just aiming for a win; we are looking to make a statement and solidify our position at the top of the league."

"I am thankful for everyone who have contributed to my growth, good and bad, and I am ready for the new challenges ahead of me that requires new focus."

"We don't believe in experience and experience can't be bought. You build experience. So, this thing of 'We are building, we want new blood' I feel like we still have a long way to go."

"I’m the only girl in our home, and my father used to play football. So, I started playing football at the age of 6 with a boys’ team. To be honest, I’ve been lucky to have my family’s support. Even though they got scared for me at times, of getting injured, specially playing with boys, but they kept supporting me. My mother even used to take me to my trainings."

"But winning away from home always feels good. Securing all 3 points is crucial, regardless of who the opponents are."

"I am happy to have contributed to their growth with opportunities that were not around when I started as a young kid."

"We don’t approach football games seeking revenge."

"To Market more women’s football games and promote each team just as much as the top teams."

"When you reach a certain age, you realize that being only a footballer does not help you financially, as women’s football does not have enough money as the men’s game. So, I made sure to secure myself with another full-time job. I had to work on both at the same time."

"It felt great knowing people notice the talent I am blessed with. It gives me the motivation to work hard and to get better."

"But it’s tough. Especially when there’s no women’s team. Because where do you start? Hopefully one day it will change. Hopefully I can be part of that change."

"I believe if our league can have more sponsors it would help teams to build good structures and prepare properly for the league and games."

"To be where I am today, I owe it to my supporting mother, and to my recently passed away grandmother. I’ve been through many challenges in my life, but it all made me the strong woman I am today. So, girls must not give up; everything comes with time. Do not get distracted with downs, consistent work and training gets you where you want."

"I believe if you mix new and experienced players it makes a good team. Younger players have energy and experienced players have the experience to build."

"NEVER give up. Always lift your head up. Always be positive."

"It is extremely important to be mentally tough."

"My family is extremely proud of me and very excited. They spoil me every time I do well at sports."

"There is always something that feels unfulfilled when I wake up."

"Barriers are only in the mind. If you truly want something, do whatever it takes. Invest in yourself if you’re not getting the support you desire."

"I’ve got something to do on this planet and whatever that purpose is keeps me going."

"I want for other learners to know that there are opportunities in sports and if they continue studying doors could open, let your talent make room for you."

"Development is key. 100%."

"Before achieving everything that we achieved, we set goals and said this is what we want at this time. And we achieved everything, every goal that was set."

"I demand more of myself and my teammates. I want to win things – this is where my teammates and I are supposed to show up. This is where we are supposed to show the world who we are, right?"

"Life has been amazing, spending time with my family and that’s what I’ve been longing for many years, as you know as a professional athlete you travel a lot ... you don’t get time to sit down. I don’t know if players talk about it, I’m taking time to take care of my mental health."

"I own it because it gives me so much pride in being a woman in a space mostly deemed as a men's sport."

"When I talk about mental health, I’m not saying I wanted to kill myself. You get tired as a person, that’s why there is sick leave, and people go on vacations, I needed that."

"I command and organise when needed. I also understand the need to encourage and push the team to stay on top of our game."

"I had to make a decision on my own, that I wanted to be a professional footballer."

"At training or on the field of play it is not so much an issue because football language is universal, and I understand most words. The main challenge is when I have to converse with my teammates off the field, but I am getting there."

"So, there's a lot more than just being a coach, there's a lot you can do in football and contribute to the game."

"I know that one day it will also pay off and that once I am retired from football, I have something to fall back on."

"What you put in is what you get out."

"I was always involved in sport. I used to be the only girl at school or back home playing with the boys. At school I tried all sports that were available, but I enjoyed football more than anything"

"Being a radiologist helped me because I knew that if I gave myself enough time to recover, there'd be less chance of me getting injured again."

"This is a big win, not only for me but for other sportswomen as well from disadvantaged areas. Let's celebrate and pave the way for the next generation of athletes by also giving back to the communities we come from."

"I always make sure no day passes without me not going to the library. I have to always ensure I am ahead with my studying and finish my assignments very early."

"I think for me we need people to come and watch our games."

"I think it's because most females, they all want to go into coaching actually and I think they also don't realise that they are some other branches that you can go into and I think this one of them and that's where I saw that there was a gap and there was a lot of opportunities."

"Personally, it has been talked about for so many years that women's football needs to be professionalised, but at this point, I am going to reserve my comments and will only believe it when I see it practically happening. I've heard it mentioned so many times that I don't believe anything they say about the intention anymore."

"Indeed, as female footballers, we do value education highly because it's simple: We are not paid enough to make a living out of the game, whereas our male counterparts can play, say, for 10 or even five years and make enough money in order to make a living if they use their funds properly. So, there is a huge gap in terms of we know that we are not being paid well and the money that we make cannot sustain us for the rest of our lives or for a longer period of time, so we opt to navigate towards education. That is so that we are able to secure full-time jobs on the side, or even after football. We need that more than our male counterparts."

"Oh, I love those people. They treat me like a human being – like a girl. Let me tell you when we go and do shoots, they just hire a whole makeup crew to pamper me and I love that."

"I love the face beats, lipsticks, eyelashes – just everything about it. I love everything about it. You know what, Puma, let’s just end it there because I can just go on and on about Puma!"

"There are many things that go on that people from the outside don’t understand, but as a person I understand myself, I know how I operate, I know when I need a break, I know when I’m having a breakdown, I know when my body says 'no' and when it says 'yes', so I have to listen to it."

"Had I not quit my job, I wouldn't be here because I was working in the deep rural areas. It was very hard to train. I was training with the boys."