The 2022 Hollywoodbets Super League season was one of the most exciting in the three-year existence of the competition – the first edition was known as the SAFA Women’s League, with Hollywoodbets coming on board in the last two campaigns.
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies is the most successful team with three wins out of three, and they went on to represent South Africa at the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League in 2021, which they won to be crowned the Queens of the continent at club level.
It was in 2022 that they faced strong challenges with some teams rising to the occasion.
Of the 30 league matches played in the season, Sundowns Ladies won 27, drew one and lost two (to UWC and TUT).
With 16 teams in the league in this campaign – up by two from the previous edition – the Brazilians were like a runway train in the opening weeks of the season but were stopped dead in their tracks by the University of the Western Cape (UWC), suffering a 2-0 loss.
They however overcame the setback and returned to winning ways – and despite losing to neighbours Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) along the way, they successfully defended their league title with eight matches to spare.
“The good thing about the season is I had younger players, the likes of Miche Minnies who came to the party in her first season, scoring close to 21 goals, and we had Boitumelo Rabale who was outstanding, you go to my goalkeepers we conceded 13 goals. It was a great season for us, lots and lots of lessons learnt, and we learnt the hard way,” said Sundowns Ladies head coach Jerry Tshabalala.
Some of those lessons will be used when Banyana ba Style return to the COSAFA Women’s Champions League qualifiers to book their place in the CAF Women’s Champions League and retrieve the title they lost to ASFAR of Morocco.
They also failed to defend the COSAFA Women’s Champions League – with the league title only to their name.
“As a coach I wouldn’t say I’m proud. I would have love to win all, but I am happy we won the Hollywoodbets Super League, that gives us a chance to go back and try again. So, I am 40 percent happy now,” added Tshabalala.
Banyana ba Style finished on 82 points, 14 points ahead of runners up UWC.
Sundowns Ladies were solid at the back conceding only 13 goals, same as second-placed UWC, but the former were lethal in front of goal scoring 126 goals – their nearest challenger was JVW, 44 goals behind.
Tshabalala walked away with the Coach of the Season Award while Brazilian midfielder Boitumelo Rabale scooped the Player of the Season accolade.
JVW were also represented at the podium with captain Nompumelelo Nyandeni claiming the Top Goal Scorer award for the second year in a row. This time she was a lone ranger standing on 30 goals – last season she had to share with Sundowns Ladies’ Andisiwe Mgcoyi as they netted 27 each.
Richmond United exciting forward Nthabiseng Majiya also made it two in a row when she won the Young Player of the Year, having lifted the title in 2021.
“Congratulations to all the winners and even the finalists as well as all the players in general, I think every player really does bring a different element to the league. if it wasn’t for every player we wouldn’t have a league, so continue working hard continue playing to the best of your abilities, we’re hoping that one day would be able to see players being paid to play and that that for me is the final goal. It doesn’t happen overnight, but there are blueprints that we can learn from, and it’s just about working hard and continue doing what we do,” said Indira Albuquerque of Hollywoodbets.
With the Chloorkop outfit annexing the league title, the battle for second place was left to three teams – UWC, TUT and JVW.
The latter fell off the race leaving the shootout between Thinasonke Mbuli of UWC and Lucky Sibiya of TUT.
But the Capetonians won it on the last day as they pipped their more-fancied opponents by three points.
JVW managed fourth spot with the University of Johannesburg (UJ Ladies) also in the top five after finishing ninth in 2021.
Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies, Richmond Ladies, Ma-Indies Ladies, First Touch FC, and Durban Ladies completed the top 10.
Thunderbirds Ladies came in 11th, followed by newcomers City Lads Ladies, with Coal City Wizards and Vasco da Gama finishing in 13th and 14th respectively.
“The league is getting better and better you better and you can see that the teams are getting stronger, those that bet on these teams get it wrong all the time because a team that they thought would lose a game ends up winning. It’s also the first season with 16 teams and we knew that it wasn’t going to be easy, but we must thank the teams for coming on board you know and supporting us in honoring games. I also want to thank everyone who has who has been involved in the league, the media, the fans that go to the stadium and support the teams. Thank you to everyone for an exciting season overall,” said SAFA COO Lydia Monyepao.
Sadly, there will be no football in the Free State and North West provinces after the relegation of Tsunami Queens and Golden Ladies as well as the relocation of Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies to KwaZulu Natal.
Copperbelt Ladies of Limpopo and Tuks Ladies of Gauteng will take the place of the two teams that could not survive the axe.
It has been two years since Hollywoodbets signed with the South African Football Association (SAFA), and the company is excited about the latest instalment of the season.
“I remember when the league started, I was super excited and here we are end of the season to crown the Champions, to crown the individual award winners, so it really went quick, but it was super exciting, it was very different. we saw teams step up we saw a lot of upsets, we saw a lot of great results this season and it just makes it more exciting for the next season coming up,” said Albuquerque.
“We are going to work intensely in getting the fans to the stadiums. For us it’s getting the community involved with a lot of the teams. I feel like the more we create the awareness, the more eyeballs we will have, even on TV, that will bring more broadcast viewership which will help us commercialize the sport even better, so for us it’s about getting more people to support the game.”
Looking at the movements of the teams and comparing them to last season – only a few made some improvements.
UWC moved from third in 2021 to second in 2022, UJ ninth to fifth and Richmond United from 11th to seventh.
Five of them remained in the same position – Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies (1), JVW (4), Bloemfontein Celtic (6), Ma-Indies (8) and Durban Ladies (10).
Several of them dropped from last last season’s finish – chief among them was TUT from second to third, First Touch FC fifth to ninth in 2022, Thunderbirds Ladies seventh to 11th in 2022 and Coal City Wizards from 12th to 13th in 2022.
With only 14 teams in 2021 and no relegation and promotion system, Golden Ladies and Tsunami Queens finished 13th and 14th respectively – in 2022 they ended 15th and 16th which saw them relegated to the Sasol League.
City Lads Ladies and Vasco Da Gama were promoted from the Sasol League.
2022 HOLLYWOODBETS SUPER LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS:
Player of the Season: Boitumelo Rabale (Sundowns Ladies)
Coach of the Season: Jerry Tshabalala (Sundowns Ladies)
Young Player of the Season: Nthabiseng Majiya (Richmond United)
Goalkeeper of the Season: Katlego Moletsane (Bloem Celtic Ladies)
Top Goal scorer: Nompumelelo Nyandeni (JVW)
Referee of the Season: Hloniphile Msezane
Assistant Referee of the Season: Amogelang Msiza
2022 HOLLYWOODBETS SUPER LEAGUE PRIZE-MONEY BREAKDOWN:
- Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies Champions R2m
- UWC Runners-up: R1m
- TUT R500K
- JVW R400K
- UJ Ladies R300K
- Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies R100K
- Richmond United R100K
- Ma-Indies Ladies R100K
- First Touch FC R100K
- Durban Ladies FC R100K
- Thunderbirds Ladies R100K
- City Lads Ladies R100K
- Coal City Wizards R100K
- Vasco da Gama R100K
- Golden Ladies RELEGATED R50K
- Tsunami Queens RELEGATED R50K
2022 vs 2021 HOLLYWOODBETS SUPER LEAGUE FINISH
- Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies (Champions in 2021)
- UWC (3rd in 2021)
- TUT (2nd in 2021)
- JVW (4th in 2021)
- UJ Ladies (9th in 2021)
- Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies (6th in 2021)
- Richmond United (11th in 2021)
- Ma-Indies Ladies (8th in 2021)
- First Touch FC (5th in 2021)
- Durban Ladies (10th in 2021)
- Thunderbirds Ladies (7th in 2021)
- City Lads Ladies (promoted from Sasol League in 2021)
- Coal City Wizards (12th in 2021)
- Vasco da Gama (promoted from Sasol League in 2021)
- Golden Ladies (13th in 2021) – RELEGATED IN 2022
- Tsunami Queens (14th in 2021) – RELEGATED IN 2022
By Matlhomola Morake
