Enterprising Banyana Banyana forward Noxolo Cesane has made a move to the French League where she joined Stade de Reims in the Arkema D1 Championship – or the First Division of women’s football.
Cesane, whose twin sister Sinoxolo plays her club football in the USA, leaves the University of the Western Cape in the Hollywoodbets Super League after a four year stay.
The 21-year-old has signed until 2023 and becomes the fourth Banyana Banyana player to be snapped up by overseas teams from the winning squad of the 2022 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
South Africa beat the hosts 2-1 in a pulsating final held two months ago (23 July 2022).
Forward Jermaine Seoposenwe left SC Braga in Portugal and made the long trek to Mexico where she is on the books of FC Juarez Femenil that campaigns in the Mexican Liga MX.
South Africa’s captain in the tournament in Morocco, Refiloe Jane, made the short trip in Italy, moving from AC Milan to Sassuolo in the Women’s Serie A, while defender Janine van Wyk has registered with top Greece women’s football club Ergotoris.
With 12 Banyana Banyana appearances, Cesane was spotted by her new side in the semi-final clash against Zambia, which the South Africans narrowly won 1-0 courtesy of a Linda Motlhalo penalty strike in the dying minutes of the game.
Known for her versatility, the Cape Town-born player has received high praise from the technical team at Stade de Reims, through a statement on the club’s website.
“Noxolo is a player who has a very interesting range of games! Ball to the feet, she is an excellent technician. Her small size also allows her to be very lively and responsive, especially in small spaces – an asset for any attacker. Her versatility and good performance in the different positions of the attack shows that Noxolo has an above-average “football intelligence,” said Amaury Messuwe, assistant coach of LesRouge & Blanche.
“She is able to easily eliminate her opponents by dribbling or not feigning, the 21-year-old striker is a formidable scorer but also knows how to put herself at the service of the collective by ensuring the last pass. For example, at the last African Cup of Nations in Morocco, the South African international distinguished herself by offering two assists for her own.”
Cesane has been handed the number 11 jersey.
“Hello everyone. I am very happy to join the Club for the next two seasons. I look forward to starting on the field, working with my teammates and meeting you,” said Cesane on the club’s website upon arrival in France.
She could make her debut in the French League when the Red and Whites host Lyon on Saturday, 10 September 2022 in the opening match of the 2022/23 season.
They finished the previous campaign in seventh position.
Paris Saint-Germain are the defending champions with their maiden league trophy.
FACT FILE – Stade de Reims:
- Stade de Reims Féminines or Stade de Reims Women is a French women’s football club from Reims
- It was established in 1968 as FCF Reims
- In 1970 it became Stade de Reims‘s women’s team, and four years later it was one of the twelve founding teams of the Division 1 Féminine.
- They were the first French team to sign a player from Ireland in the contemporary era of women’s football.
- Stade de Reims was one of the championship’s leading teams during its first years, winning five titles between 1975 and 1982
Titles:
French Championship
Winners (5): 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1982
FACT FILE – DIVISION 1:
- The Division 1 Féminine, shortened as D1 Féminine or D1F, and currently known as D1 Arkema for sponsorship reasons, is the highest division of women’s football in France
- Run by the French Football Federation, the league is contested by twelve fully professional clubs
- Founded in 1974, the league exists in its current format since 1992
- Seasons run from September to June, with teams playing 22 games each totalling 132 games in the season
- Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays
- Play is regularly suspended after the second week in December before returning in the third week of January
- The Division 1 Féminine is ranked the best women’s league in Europe according to EUFA 2019–20 women’s association club coefficients
- Lyon is the club that has won the most first division titles (14)
- The club also holds the record for consecutive titles (fourteen)
- Paris Saint-Germain is the current title holder of the competition, winning their first title in the 2020/21 season.
By Matlhomola Morake
