Robyn Moodaly
Age: 22
Club: University of Northwestern Ohio
Hometown: East London
Johannesburg - Robyn Moodaly’s face hasn’t changed that much from the buck-toothed teenager who made her Banyana Banyana debut at 16. But there is a touch maturity in it now.
That is appropriate for the woman who will be the first to represent South Africa in three major global competitions when Banyana Banyana do battle in the Olympics.
That makes her something of a veteran.She was part of the national Under-17 team that became the country’s first women’s side to play in the World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010.
Two years after that she jetted off to the Olympics in London where she was on the bench for all three matches. That will change in Brazil. She will get some game time in a Group E where Banyana Banyana will be up against Sweden, China and the hosts.
They leave tomorrow for Brazil, where they will play a friendly against New Zealand on Thursday. Six days after that they will start their campaign against Sweden.
“I feel like I am more part of the team this time around. I am much older,” Moodaly said. “I had a number of people to look up to in 2012. There were the likes of Amanda Dlamini, Noko (Matlou), Janine van Wyk and Mpumi (Nompumelelo Nyandeni) around me. I am still playing with them today which shows the impact they have had in the national team. I got a chance to compete with them at the highest level and it helped me grow. I can say that they helped me become a different player from who I was when I joined the national team.”
The presence of Jermaine Seoposenwe and Kaylin Swart, whom Moodaly played with in the Under-17 World Cup, make her appreciate her growth as she is now among the senior players. All three are based in the US where Moodaly is studying Sport Science and Business Studies at the University of Northwestern Ohio along with playing football.
“It’s really touching to see how much we have grown. We owe all of that to the chances we were given when we were young. We made the most of them which is why we are where we are today. The assistant coach (of the national Under-17 team) at the time was coach Skheshekheshe (Joseph Mkhonza). He saw how myself, Jermaine and Kaylin played at the World Cup. When he became head coach of Banyana Banyana he brought us in, even though we were young. He gave us an opportunity to learn and gain experience while we grow,” Moodaly said.
The journey to where Moodaly is now wasn’t easy though. It started out quite well. She impressed the High Performance Centre scouts in Pretoria when she went on trial as a 14-year-old.
Her skills were refined there until she obtained her matric in 2012. The following year she went to the US. But her big break came with her being forgotten because she wasn’t in the sights of the national team coaches.
It wasn’t helped by her getting a bacterial infection on the knee surgery she had.
“There were times where I couldn’t come when we played friendlies (because my club couldn’t release me),” Moodaly said. “I think that’s the only downfall of playing abroad. But I wouldn’t change it because it has helped me grow as a footballer which can only be better for my country. People will see just how much I have grown in the Olympics.”
The Star