Midfield sensation Jessica Wade is back to where it all started for her!
She has rejoined JVW after leaving the club a few years ago. At the tender of age of only 12, Wade started in the JVW Program for Football Development, and she has now returned to her roots to join the Hollywoodbets Super League outfit.
It was at this club that the talented midfielder enjoyed much footballing success. It was in 2019 while playing in the JVW Girls Schools League for Waterstone College that she was crowned Player of the Year.
In the same year, Wade led the South African U17 and U20 Women’s National teams to success in different COSAFA Cup tournaments.
In association with Cosafa and LaLiga Santander Wade spent time training with Villarreal in Spain after being picked as the best players after the Cosafa Under-20 along with Mduduzi Shabalala, who was then a junior at Kaizer Chiefs but has since been promoted to the first team.
Wade’s Her greatest achievement, however was a year earlier, when she captained the U17 Women’s National team at the 2018 FIFA U17 Women’ World Cup in Uruguay under head coach Simphiwe Dludlu.
She did not end there.
Wade was then promoted to the JVW senior team in 2019, and helped the Blue Diamonds win the Sasol Women’s League Gauteng title. The Bedfordview side went on lift the Sasol League National Championship of that year – gaining promotion to the Hollywoodbets Super League.
The midfielder then moved to the University of Johannesburg (UJ Ladies) in the same elite women’s league before being scooped by Emek Hefer Women’s Football Club in Israel in 2022
Now she is back in South Africa and wearing the colours of the club where it all started for her.
“Welcome back, Jess! We are confident that your success will continue at the Home of the Blue Diamonds,” said JVW in a social media post.
While Wade makes a return, 17 year old goalkeeper, Casey Gordon, has been promoted to the First Team at JVW.
Gordon has been part of the club’s Sasol League team (the Sapphires) for the past two seasons, and has now been on-boarded to the Hollywoodbets Super League team following the completion of the Gauteng Sasol League where they finished fifth in the eight-team Stream B.
She will be with the Blue Diamonds until the end of the current season, and she is expected to learn a lot from the club’s number one goalkeeper, Banyana Banyana’s Kaylin Swart.
Gordon comes with a lot of pedigree as she was most recently voted the 2024 Engen Knockout Challenge Goalkeeper of the Year in the Gauteng leg of the tournament. This was third similar accolade in the competition, after walking away with the same trophy in 2022 and 2023.
She has also represented South Africa at U17 and U20 level.
By Matlhomola Morake
