In 2012 Banyana Banyana defender Janine van Wyk saw her dream come alive when she formed a women’s football club with Football Administrator Lauren Duncan, and together they knew that JVW FC was the most suitable name to carry the legacy.
Started with only 13 players, the aim was to identify, develop, improve and expose female football players – and they have done a great job as the club now has well over 120 players on their database made up of several divisions:
- First team – Blue Diamonds (Hollywoodbets Super League)
- Reserve Team – Sapphires (Sasol League)
- U19 Team – Rubies (Safa Ekurhuleni Regional League)
- U15 Team – Gems (Safa Gauteng GDL)
- Developing Diamonds – Development team
Also known as the Blue Diamonds, four years after formation they went on to win the 2016 Sasol League defeating established women’s football giants like Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies, Croesus Ladies and the now defunct Palace Super Falcons – on their way to winning the league title that year, but fell to Bloemfontein Celtic (now known as Royal AM) in the Sasol League National Play-offs.
With their never-say-die spirit, in 2019 they were back in the national play-play-offs, and this time around they triumphed over every one to be crowned National Champions – defeating Ma-Indies Ladies in the final.
Not only that, as trendsetters that they are, they also became the first team to gain promotion into the Hollywoodbets Super League – the elite South African Women’s Football League.
The club has had great players in their arsenal, retired Banyana Banyana captain Amanda Dlamini, Linda Motlhalo, who now plies her trade in Scotland for Glasgow City, Mamello Makhabane, Nompumelelo Nyandeni, Thokozile Mndaweni, and currently the likes of Nomathemba Ntsibande, Alochia Thobokela, Bongiwe Thusi and Jabu Mazibuko to name a few – all of who have won the national team jersey.
They also provided three players for the Sasol-sponsored Banyana – Kaylin Swart, Robyn Moodaly and Gabriela Salgado) at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in August. The trio of Swart, Moodaly along with Van Wyk, also African Champions after winning gold at the 2022 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
JVW has gone a step further.
They have now also become the first team in women’s football in South Africa to recruit a European player to top flight football.
The Blue Diamonds recently acquired the services of defender Julia Molin from Sweden after her stints with Kristianstads DFF (Sweden), Vittsjö GIK (Sweden), AIK Fotboll (Sweden), Apollon Limassol FC (Cyprus), Verona (Italy), Sassuolo (Italy), Alvaldsnes (Norway), Glasgow City (Scotland), Ergotelis WFC (Greece) before making her way to South Africa.
Since her arrival, announced in September alongside the re-signing of Aliyaah Allie (from Glasgow City), Molin has featured in all the games in the Hollywoodbets Super League.
She has played five games in South Africa, winning four and suffering one loss – a 6-1 defeat to reigning league champions, Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies. Molin was named Player of the Match in the 3-0 victory over the Tshwane University of Technology.
Currently, JVW is third on the table with 53 points – 12 behind the pair of Sundowns Ladies and UWC, but the Blue Diamonds still stand a good chance of getting their highest finish in the league since joining three years ago.
In 2021 they ended fourth, and held on to the same position the following season.
After 25 games in the current campaign, they have won 16, drawn five and lost only four – and have five fixtures remaining.
The four defeats were at the hands of Sundowns Ladies (twice), UWC and newcomers Copperbelt Ladies.
Hot on their heels are other new kids on the block – TS Galaxy Queens in fourth place, just two points adrift.
In the five games still left to play, JVW will take on Durban Ladies, First Touch, UWC, UJ and Royal AM.
CentreCircle.online took time out to chat to Molin.
Welcome to South Africa, how are you finding your stay so far – outside football?
I’m enjoying myself in South Africa so far. The weather is amazing, the people I’ve come across are all super friendly and I really like to experience all the difference cultures you have here. Nonetheless the scenery is beautiful.
After your time in Greece, you could have gone anywhere in the world to play football, what convinced you to come to South Africa?
I’m a curious person that loves a new challenge. When this opportunity came up I was too intrigued to say no. I was aware that many things on and off the field doesn’t operate as what I’m use to in Europe, but that’s also a part of the challenge and something I wanted to experience. I believe I can learn from South Africa and the team I represent, just as much as I believe the team can learn from me.
What do you make of the Hollywoodbets Super League?
It’s more competitive than what I first thought it would be. I’ve seen that teams can take points from any other team and that shows that the gap between the teams aren’t that big.
From what I’ve witnessed, the players compete well which is something I enjoy.
However, i do believe that the overall play together with the officials could toughen up the game a little more by allowing a harder battle between the teams if the league is going to take the next step. In Europe the game players thrive on winning individual duels, shoulder to shoulder charges and really getting stuck in without getting blown up every few minutes for making little contact on your opponent or for a simple fall due to the players not being strong enough to hold their ground. This is definitely a part of the game in the South African League that can improve.
You are well travelled, thanks to football – how would you compare the leagues where you have played with the South African Women’s Football League?
I’ve played in many different Countries that have their own challenges. One major thing that stands out for me in this league are the facilities that are far from the standard I’m used to playing in. I believe that the women’s game in this Country deserve more. I understand there many teams that don’t have sponsorships to assist with these factors but if South Africa is serious about professionalising the women’s game, these things have to be taken into account. As a professional athlete you want to perform under the best circumstances. In our case currently, the fields are non-playable in terms of surfaces that could cause career ending injuries and some facilities don’t have changing rooms with working showers and toilets which is unhygienic for females especially. If SAFA and other sponsors could invest more money in to the women’s game I think we would see a lot of improvement in all areas as this country has a lot of talented and committed players with a desire to improve and grow to become professional athletes.
You are the first international to grace the South African football field on the women’s side, do you think your presence will help increase the profile of the South African Women’s Football League?
I truly hope so. I’ve had many former teammates abroad ask me questions about the standard of the league, how the facilities are etc. I wish people abroad could open their eyes to explore more over this side. But again, I believe a lot of improvements and groundwork has to be done before other International players would look to come over and participate in the South African League. It certainly is possible to have Internationals come over, however it is a lot of money to invest in.
What do you think are the immediate needs for South African Women’s football to get to the next level?
I believe there are many factors that could improve and help the women’s game get to the next level. The financial gap between top teams and lower teams are too big. The facilities, the pitches are not up to a standard pro footballer. To get South Africa’s football to the next level the league has to be professional and have players work as footballers. Not work 8-5 and then go to training. It needs to be full time focus with a coaching staff that also can dedicate themselves full time to it.
There is a lot of talk about making the league professional, what is your take on that?
I think that would be great – for example, in Italy they only made the league professionally just a few years ago. When they made it professional they introduced a rule with regards to earning minimum salaries. In this way all players in the highest league could earn a good enough salary to focus full time on the game, which also helped develop the football in Italy and increased the number of foreign players that wanted to go over there and play and today Italy has a good status in terms of running a pro league.
You watched Banyana Banyana at the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup, what did you make of their performance, and perhaps what needs to do done to maintain that level?
I did follow Banyana Banyana. I was very impressed by the girls performance throughout the tournament. This World Cup was a perfect example to see that the gap between the nations aren’t as big as they once use to be. I think that South Africa would need to work a bit harder in terms of their tactical game and organization to keep up with the higher level national teams.
With South Africa bidding to host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, how much do you think that will help with the growth of women’s football in this country?
I believe that would be amazing for the entire Country and the African Continent as a whole in terms of the Women’s game. It would inspire kids from all over to come watch their role models and idols at the stadiums. Having the best footballers play in Africa would hopefully attract millions of foreigners to enter this beautiful Country and explore different things and generate some money to assist with the development of women’s football in South Africa.
How long is your stay in South Africa?
My contract is till the end of this season and then we will see what or if other challenges arise.
JULIA MOLIN TIMELINE:
08 September 23:
Announced alongside Aliyaah Allie from Glasgow City, hot on the heels of the re-signing of Janine from Greece.
09 September 23:
Named in the starting 11 vs Tuks Ladies – win 3-2
16 September 23:
Starts against City Lads Ladies – win 4-0
30 September 23:
Starts against TUT – win 3-0, named Player of the Match
7 October 23:
Vs Coal City Wizards – starts, win 1-0
14 October 23:
Starts v Sundowns Ladies, suffers first loss in SA – 1-6
By Matlhomola Morake
