The Brave Fives Gladiators are in a position to inspire a revolution in the country with participation in the upcoming Futsal Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon).
The Futsal Wafcon tournament debuts in Rabat, Morocco, from 22 to 30 April, with Namibia among the nine nations lining up for honours.
Minister of education, innovation, youth, sport, arts and culture Sanet Steenkamp encourages the Gladiators to wear their hearts on their sleeves and enjoy the privilege of being part of the historic event.
“Your talent must be amazing for you to earn this distinction . . . But it’s not just talent, you’ve set yourself apart from others, probably through strict discipline . . . sheer tenacity – even when things were tough . . ,” she says.
“So for that, I put a feather in your cap and I thank you for persevering.”
The inaugural Futsal Wafcon edition features three teams from the Cosafa region, with Angola and Madagascar also on the roster.
Namibia’s Gladiators are in group A, along with the hosts and Cameroon. Group B has Angola Egypt and Guinea, while Madagascar share group C with Tanzania and Senegal.
The tournament serves as a qualifier for the first Fifa Women’s Futsal World Cup, which will be held in the Philippines from 21 November to 7 December.
The two finalists of the tournament will earn their spot to represent Africa at this Women’s World Cup.
That incentive is not lost on the Gladiators, who intend to be at their best on their international debut.
Deputy sport minister Dino Ballotti says the trailblazers owe it to themselves to put their best foot forward in Morocco.
“The girl child is someone who’s going to look up to each of you. The hope and the goal is that we’ll have hundreds and thousands of young ladies participating in this ‘fairly new’ sport code because of you. You will inspire the generations to come,” he says.
“And to be the very first, it’s something that will live for you forever. Play your best, be who you are, and don’t try to imitate someone else.”
Namibia Football Association vice president Murs Markus says while no qualifiers took place, the country earned its spot through its body of work in developing women’s football.
“This is the first ever on the continent for the futsal women’s tournament, and we are not lucky to be there – we deserve to be there because of the progress we’re making in promoting women’s football,” he says.
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