LONDON – The United Nations has designated the theme for 2024 as “Investing in Women: Accelerating Progress,” with a focus on tackling economic disempowerment, and this year’s campaign theme is “Inspire Inclusion.”
Bull Rushes spoke to Amanda Dlamini, a former South African footballer and current football analyst and football administrator.
Dlamini represented the South African women's national team 'Banyana Banyana' at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.
Dlamini revealed that he played on a boys' team when he was young.
We asked her why she wanted to be a soccer player.
“I was always encouraged by my father and cousins. I really wanted to be an athlete or a sprinter, but the lack of resources and coaching meant that most boys back home were next in line. The big sport played was football.”
Dlamini says she has had great support from those around her who have been an inspiration.
“My biggest inspirations are my parents, my cousin Nkosi, my teammate Sandiso and my legendary football inspiration Veronica Fewa,” she says.
But it has not been an easy journey for Dlamini.
“I had to leave my family and go home when I was 13 or 14 years old, adapting and digging into new environments in every big city to pursue a career in football,” Dlamini recalls. .
“But the bliss was how rewarding and fulfilling it felt to see what an impact hard work and sheer determination can have on a life.
“The opportunities I have been given by playing on the national team and providing great leadership as team captain have changed my life for the better.”
After retiring, Dlamini entered the world of commentary.
“I was given a rare opportunity for a woman to be a critic,” she says.
“The media training I received at national team level made the transition smooth, but I still needed to do a lot more research.
“The comment came as an opportunity from one of our senior directors, and he really pushed me hard.
“As I practiced and played more and more, I got the hang of it and started to enjoy it a lot.
“I usually enjoy working with senior commentators, focusing on tactical analysis, player behavior, formations and football trends.”
Dlamini competed in the TotalEnergies CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
However, becoming the first woman to commentate on a soccer match at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations was a groundbreaking achievement.
“It shouldn't have taken this long to get a female voice of that caliber,” Dlamini says.
“However, we are thrilled that such a milestone can be achieved under CAF’s new leadership, giving women across the continent equal opportunities and platforms.”
We asked Dlamini what positive comments she received at this year's AFCON. Don't be shy about it. ”
Negative comments surrounding the woman commenting, especially regarding her role at this year's AFCON.
Dlamini said: “I've had to deal with a lot of criticism as an athlete, and it's not necessarily constructive criticism, it's usually people who have something against women, and this has nothing to do with the sport. No.” code.
“Learning how to filter what is said and commented is important.”
Dlamini spoke about the progress she has seen in her field and what needs to change for women.
“We have female camera operators, and sometimes we have productions where the director, VTS, camera operator, presenter, analyst are all female, so it’s huge in my home country,” she says.
“We need more women as pundits, analysts and commentators at the international level, especially on the African continent.”
Dlamini wants to send a simple message to women and girls who want to achieve something but feel it might be impossible or they've never done it before.
“If you don't have a standard, be that standard. Don't be afraid to be the first,” Dlamini is quick to advise.
This article was originally published by our sister publication, TheBulrushes. It is republished by TechFinancials under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.Read original article
