After a two-month break, the 2023 Hollywoodbets Super League is back in action.
Launched four years ago, the South African elite women’s competition continues to grow in leaps and bounds.
With 12 teams at the start of the league in the 2019/20 season, increasing to 14 the following year (2021) – it now hosts 16 teams from 2022 with the system of relegation and promotion also introduced in the same year.
JVW FC (Gauteng) and Ma-Indies Ladies (Limpopo) were not part of the start and were only promoted in 2021, while City Lads Ladies (Limpopo) and Vasco da Gama (Western Cape) joined the fray last year.
The new kids on the block for 2023 are Copperbelt Ladies (Limpopo) and Tuks Ladies (Gauteng).
The third newcomer came into being after acquiring the status of Vasco, and changing the name to TS Galaxy Queens from Mpumalanga. Twice they won the provincial Sasol League, and twice they could not get promotion to the elite women’s league – but the Rockets saw their team become a reality when an opportunity arose to buy the status of Vasco.
The arrival of TS Galaxy means there are now three female teams that are owned by Premier League clubs – the others being Mamelodi Sundowns and Royal AM.
Sadly, Golden Ladies of North West and Tsunami Queens (Free State) made history by being the first two teams to suffer relegation since the inception of the women’s league.
There has also been a name change – with Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies being taken over by Royal AM from Hammersdale, KwaZulu Natal.
For three years running, Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies has been the team to beat – winning all three editions of the league campaign.
And this is how all the teams finished since the start of the league:
2019/2020:
- Sundowns Ladies
- TUT
- Celtic Ladies
- First Touch Academy
- Coal City Wizards
- UWC
- Durban Ladies
- UJ
- Golden Ladies
- Thunderbirds Ladies
- Richmond United
- Tsunami Queens
2021:
- Sundowns Ladies
- TUT
- UWC
- JVW
- First Touch
- Celtic Ladies
- Thunderbirds Ladies
- Ma-Indies
- UJ
- Durban Ladies
- Richmond United
- Coal City Wizards
- Golden Ladies
- Tsunami Queens
2022:
- Sundowns Ladies
- UWC
- TUT
- JVW
- UJ
- Celtic Ladies
- Richmond United
- Ma-Indies
- First Touch
- Durban Ladies
- Thunderbirds Ladies
- City Lads Ladies
- Coal City Wizards
- Vasco
- Golden Ladies
- Tsunami Queens
All the 16 teams will be in action this weekend with four fixtures on Saturday (4 February), and the remaining matches the following day (Sunday, 5 February).
Newcomers TS Galaxy will get a taste of the big leagues when they travel to Gqeberha for a date with City Lads Ladies, who are in their second season in the Hollywoodbets Super League.
TS Galaxy has made an array of signings, ransacking most teams in the league to build a star-studded team to compete for honours.
Busisiwe Ndimeni (TUT), Nompumelelo Nyandeni (JVW), Nothando Vilakazi (TUT), Mamello Makhabane (JVW), Nomvula Kgoale (formerly in Spain) are some of the names that have been unveiled by the club.
The University of the Western Cape (UWC) fought to the bitter end last season to finish in second place ahead of TUT, and will be hoping for more of the same this year, and perhaps even challenge for the title.
Their first assignment of 2023 is an away match to Coal City Wizards in Mpumalanga. The clashes between the two were tight affairs with one match drawn in 2022 and UWC winning the other.
University of Johannesburg (UJ) will be in KwaZulu Natal to take on Durban Ladies at the Chatsworth Stadium. The students got off to a slow start last season, but were able to pick the pace and finished in fifth position – their highest ever in the league.
Both will be hoping to start on a positive note to better their positions come the end of the year.
In Polokwane, First Touch will host the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) at the Noordelikes Sport Complex
We have another exciting encounter in store after the Limpopo side had the better of the students last year. In June they played to a goalless draw but First Touch won the corresponding fixture 2-1 in Tshwane.
Hollywoodbets Super League newcomers Copperbelt Ladies and Tuks Ladies will get a chance to relive the 2022 Sasol League National Champions final when they meet again on Sunday (5 February) at the UP Stadium starting at 15h00.
The Limpopo side won the first encounter in Polokwane in December, claiming a 3-2 victory on penalties after both sides were tied at 1-1.
Royal AM, formerly Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies, will make the long trip to the North to face Ma-Indies at the Malamulele Stadium in Giyani, also at 15h00.
Two matches will be broadcast on SABC television – first up will be the early kick off between JVW Ladies and Thunderbirds Ladies at 11h30, while reigning champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies will entertain Richmond United at 15h00, with the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville being used as the venue.
JVW has lost several experienced players in the off-season, the likes of Nompumelelo Nyandeni, Mamello Makhabane, Erin Herz and goalkeeper Yolula Tsawe – it will be interesting to see who they unveil when they commence their 2023 league campaign.
The Bedfordview outfit was just too good for the Eastern Cape side, winning back to back fixtures last season.
The clash between Banyana Ba Style and the Northern Cape side closed off the season in 2022, with the former getting a scare from Richmond United in Tshwane, but Jerry Tshabalala’s charges had too much experience and firepower to win 4-2.
Will the Brazilians be unstoppable again this season?
They won 27 out of 30 matches, losing two and drawing just once to finish on 82 points, 14 points ahead of runners up UWC.
Sundowns Ladies conceded 13 goals, and scored 126 – their nearest challenger was JVW, 44 goals behind.
By Matlhomola Morake
