"The smiles they put on my face that day… it hit me that they needed us more. I realised that when I made it, I had to go back and help. I want to show people who think they have boundaries that there are no limits."

"Imagine what the national team could achieve if women’s football was fully professional. It would change everything."

"It’s important to remember where you come from and to use your success to uplift others. I want these young players to know that their dreams are valid. They must know that with hard work and dedication, they can achieve anything."

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

"Netball opens up a lot of opportunities. For example, it can help you further your studies by getting a high school or higher institution bursary. Besides that, you can play abroad, which is a dream come true for many. Above all, you can make a living out of what you love."

"Leadership for me is about guiding, not controlling."

"They have taught me that leadership is never one-size-fits-all. Every person in the team is different; some need encouragement, some need accountability, some just need to be heard. I’ve learned to listen more, to be patient, and to celebrate others’ strengths."

"The younger generation now sees netball as a career, not just a passion."

"I always strive to better myself and give my best on and off court."

"Extremely difficult, I'm gonna be honest, we all know as athletes, it's very, very difficult to come back from an injury. For the most part, it knocks down the mental side of things but I had to be tough on myself and be like, you gotta get back into the game, that's what I love to do."

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

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

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

"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."

"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."

"Not everyone gets a chance to play at the highest level of sport, especially when you are from a rural area like where I come from."

"Football is not just about becoming a great player it’s also about becoming a great person."

"We need people to invest in women’s football. The team managed to qualify without a professional league. We need a professional league so that players can be committed to the game and the national team needs to play very international break against the best teams, get exposure and play abroad."

"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."

"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!"

"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."

"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."

"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 want to do more talking on the field of play."

"My mother was a netball player and my father played football. So, I think my parents' love for sports really pushed me. I’m also happy that I got into football because if it wasn’t for it maybe I would be a disrespectful child and it just taught me to treat people with kindness."

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

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

"It’s also about working hard and not giving up. Because when you love something you’ve got to go the extra mile."

"When you come from the villages you don’t give up. We keep on working no matter what."

"Sometimes we mess up our opportunities. But if it had to happen, it had to happen."

"I don’t like to be relaxed. When it’s my time to move, it’s my time to move. I wake up in the morning and pray. After that, I go for a run. Then I train with some boys. On Sundays, we play matches."

"Teamwork will win games for us because football is about the team not individuals...we're here as a team, representing our country."

"I am very open to learning from my mistakes, and I’m really grateful for them."

"I fell in love with football when my two brothers played football, I would stand on the touch line and watch them. I was only 7-years-old when my mom bought me my first soccer boots and that increased my confidence."

"I am motivated that women’s football has been understated for a long time, now at least we have an opportunity to play. My mom used to tell me how she loved football but they never got the chance to play."

"Yes I did and I think there are more young girls now who are seeing that it is possible to become a professional soccer player because of others who have led the way."

"As I pointed out, when I was young the only thing I saw myself being was and still is, a professional footballer."

"She had that thing that football is for boys only."

"It’s actually not easy to juggle school and football."

"I always prepare for whatever comes my way."

"It was also one of his dreams to see me playing abroad, he would be very proud and happy for me now. My dad was very supportive with my career and came to watch each and every game I played, coaching me here and there. I know I am where I am today because of him."

"Honestly I do, I feel like the hard work is paying off but I realise that I still have a lot to learn, a lot to improve on and consistently playing is helping me improve a lot, so I'm grateful for that."

"So, I'm happy because it makes me feel at peace knowing that I can make a mistake and they will correct me. Also, knowing it's comfortable that they are happy for me to be here and it's good."

"It is every girl’s dream to take part in the biggest women’s football tournament on the African continent, and I am no different."

"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."