As she begins a new life in the USA, former University of Johannesburg (UJ) attacking midfielder, Adrielle Mibe reminisced about her past, focusing more on her late father who passed away in 2024.
The Banyana Banyana forward speaks fondly of the man that pushed her to be where she is at the moment in terms of her football, saying he was there every step of the way in her career.
“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,” said Mibe from her base in Arizona.
Mibe has joined the Arizona State University (ASU) – not to be confused with the University of Arizona (UA) or the Northern Arizona University (NAU) – where she will pursue a four-year degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Mibe is with the Sun Devils soccer team in Division 1 of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) – this is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics in the United States. It includes many of the largest and most well-known universities and athletic programs.
She has already been presented as a new member of ASU, alongside fellow South African Gositang Motshegwe who was on the books of Wits University.
Spotting jersey number 10, Mibe got her first taste of action on Friday night (8 August 2025) when she started in a 1-1 draw against NAU during a friendly match.
“It was a very intense and physical match, but I enjoyed myself. I am glad I even got to start,” added Mibe.
She is quietly settling in nicely following her move late last month (21 July 2025) to the USA, and she is grateful for all the help she got along the way.
“I just want to say a big thank you to the UJ family – the coaches, the teammates, the management. The coaches basically raised me – from a young and tiny 13-year-old – into the kind of player and person I am today, I will forever be indebted to them. A special mention goes to my mom and my sister Sandra; both have been a pillar of my strength. And gratitude also goes to those that helped shape my career, you are all a big part of my family,” she said.
By moving to the USA to study and play football, she follows in the footsteps of, among others, compatriots Amogelang Motau, Robyn Moodaly, Jermaine Seoposenwe and Kaylin Swart, who have been flying high the South African flag with Banyana Banyana over the last few years.
Mibe has been a shining star for UJ, helping them to a fourth-place finish in the Hollywoodbets Super League in 2024.
On her last day in South Africa before crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the 18-year-old led the UJ U-20 team to glory by lifting the trophy in the prestigious Gauteng Engen Knockout Challenge, where she also walked away with the Midfielder of the Tournament as well as the Player of the Tournament awards.
She also played a key role in seeing the institution claim back-to-back gold in the same competition in 2022 and 2023, and runners up the following year.
It was on the national team front that she further enhanced her potential, representing her country in the COSAFA U-17 Women’s Championship in 2023 and moved up a level to the U-20s of the competition in 2024. Her exploits led to her being called up to the Banyana Banyana squad where she scored her first ever goal for the Senior team in the 3-2 win over Botswana in the Three Nations Series in June this year.
Head Coach Desiree Ellis selected her for the final squad going to the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2024.
Although she travelled and trained with the team for a few days in Casablanca, Morocco, she returned before the start of the tournament and remained one of the standby players. Coming back home early also gave her time to get ready for her trip to the USA.
She reflects on that moment:
“It was sad as I was really looking forward to taking part in the tournament but also, I understand that my time will come,” said Mibe.
CentreCircle.online caught up with Mibe from Arizona, which has a nine-hour time difference behind South Africa.
This must be a dream come true for you…
Yes, it is a dream come true, although my plan is to play professionally, I take this as my next step on my journey. While I’m studying or even after my studies, I will try and continue to further my football career, I will see where they road leads me to, even Europe is on the cards. For now, I will be playing for the college team, Sun Devils who compete in Division 1 of the NCAA.
Will you be playing college football only or will you be looking for a club as well outside college?
For one to improve rapidly, I think it would be advisable to also look for a club outside college as this will help me gather more experience since I want to pursue a professional career. But the focus is on the studies first.
What are you studying, and where (name of institution) and how long is the course?
I am studying Social and Behavioral Sciences in Arizona State University, often referred to as ASU in the USA. The course will be 4 years long depending on if I want to continue or pursue a different course. I am based in Tempe
Having to leave your family behind at such a young age, especially your sister who is so close to you, how are you coping?
It’s hard because with my sister we basically grew up as twins, everyone knows us as twins, despite the one-year difference and us doing everything together. Yes, it was really hard and emotional, but we had to accept that someday we would have to separate to live our own lives and unfortunately it was sooner than we both had anticipated. But she was very encouraging and supportive of my whole journey and our journey together in general. And thanks to technology I still chat to her every day and let her know what is happening this side and she updates on things on her end – so it is not that bad after all.
Speaking of family, your dad passed away some time ago, this move must be bringing a smile to you after that tragedy – how do you think he would be feeling right now?
My dad passed away early in 2024, and it was one of his dreams to see me playing abroad. He would be very proud and happy for me today. My dad was my biggest supporter when it came to my career. He would come to every single game I played, coaching me here and there. I know I am where I am today because of him. So, I know he is proud of all the hard work he put in me and seeing it being really useful in my life.
How did the move to the US come about?
I was scouted through my games which I played locally with my team UJ and internationally with the national team. So, this is confirmation that always give you best when you play because you never know who could be watching.
By studying and playing in the USA, you are following in the footsteps of several South Africans, did you get any tips from them?
Yes, I spoke to Kaylin and Amogelang and other seniors and got to hear their perspective. They also gave me tips as well as words of encouragement, so I am very grateful that I got here armed with some information.
How much do you think having played in the Hollywoodbets Super League and in the national teams will help with your new move?
I think I got good grounding by playing in the Hollywoodbets Super League and even more so in the national teams, I will never take that for granted. What I can say is that I am not starting from zero, all I need is to quickly adapt to the new style, new surroundings and new environment.
Are there any South Africans in your team or school?
According to what I am hearing, yes there is a large group of South Africans although I can only confirm that once the school year has started and everyone is back on campus. But for now, I am grateful that I have by my side Gositang Motshegwe, also known as GG, who used to play for Wits University, so it’s exciting that I am not alone on this journey – I am happy to have her by my side as we explore together.
I know you have just arrived, but what do you do in your spare time?
In my spare time, I’m usually read or move around to get used to my new surroundings.
Arizona has a 9-hour difference with SA, how are you adapting to the change?
It was really hard at first, not out because of jet lag but because of the heat we are experiencing – hovering around 34 degrees Celsius – so it took time for me to adjust. I am still trying to adapt and get to terms with the weather conditions but it’s a lot better than when I first arrived.
Must have been sad to miss out on the WAFCON when you so so close – how did you feel?
It was a bummer, as I was really looking forward to taking part in the tournament. I was very close to staying in Morocco and being part of the competition unfortunately it didn’t happen. But I also understand that my time will come as well, I just needed to go back and continue doing my best and work on stuff I lack on so the next time I could make the final squad. 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. The selection gave me more hope, so I will just continue to improve myself as I would love to see Adrielle breakthrough into the squad and possibly make a spot for myself.
By Matlhomola Morake
