Football is something I will not give up on!

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Yolisa Ntsabo and I am 19 years old. I was born in Port Elizabeth in an area known as KwaZakhele. I am doing my first year in Crop Production at the Tshwane University of Technology. I'm currently playing for Vikings Ladies F.C as a striker and a part-time defender.

At what age did you start playing football?

I officially started playing soccer at the age of 9 while I was doing fifth grade at Phakama Public Primary School.

Have you been enjoying football ever since you played football?

Yes, soccer has been a wonderful part of my life.Soccer gave me the wonderful opportunity to go to East London for the first time to play a match, thereafter we had managed to win the soccer league that we were part of in Port Elizabeth. As much fun and experience I had the year ended in pain after actually failing my grade and some people said it was because of soccer but that didn't stop me from continuing with playing soccer. I was very happy to know that all the hard work wasn't for nothing when we managed to go to East London for the time in 2012 after winning the league in P.E again.

One of my biggest challenges during those years was not having proper soccer boots and that was very tough because that didn't allow me to play to my fullest potential.

In grade 7 that's when I started playing for Highbury FC after a close friend of mine brought the coach to my place. With the team, we managed to win a silver medal. But the biggest obstacle with this team was the distance and I felt like it was not very safe for ladies to be traveling such a distance every day.

In grade 8 I moved to East London where I played for my school Althorp College but sadly the school didn't have a ladies team so I had to play with the guys. And they were very supportive and didn't treat me any differently from the other players.

In 2017 and 2018 I played for Pretoria Central High School where sports were not taken seriously, but I am very happy that they allowed us to play and just have fun

. Finally, in 2019 I joined Vikings Ladies where the competition was very tough and I even got to a point where I doubted myself. But the support and belief that I am getting from the coaches are pushing me every day.

I must say during all my years of football I have been privileged to wonderful coaches that am grateful for because I wouldn't be where I am today without any of them.

If a player is down do you think it's your responsibility to lift that player up?

Yes, I think it is. When a fellow player is down it is our responsibility as a team to figure out what is bothering her and see if there is something we can do to make her feel at home and also lift her spirit. Last year I did go through a petrifying time in my life after my father was involved in a car accident and it was nice for me to know that I had a teammate that I could talk to and she would be checking up on me every day and ask how my father was. And that for me was something special because she did not only care about me but also my family and it also gave me the courage to go to soccer training every day knowing that there's someone who'll support me during that time.

How do negative comments affect you as a player?

I believe that negative comments do not only come from people but can also come from within. Over the years I have taught myself not to let those comments destroy me. By making sure that I don't take everything they say to heart cause I know where I am as a player as to where I would like to be. I also use all of those negative comments to build myself as a player by putting in the necessary hard work that I know I need to make myself a better player every day. I have had instances where I've been made to feel like I am not good enough of as a soccer player and I've also had people that have faith in me that has been pushing me to become a better player. I'm very grateful to have a positive circle around me.

What does team spirit mean to you?

Team spirit helps to get successful results in a reasonable time frame than individual spirit. As a player, you will never be successful in a soccer match if you work alone and you are all about empowering only yourself. All team members are responsible for getting success in a game cause no soccer player can win a match by herself. Teamwork has a faster pace than individual work. Cultivating team spirit helps improve the chemistry of a team and increases the probability of success. For a team to have success there needs to be togetherness and teamwork all the way.

I have been part of a team where we were not the best in the league but the team spirit was the best. After every game, we would leave the field with smiles on our faces even after losing a match and for me, that was a great sign of togetherness and team spirit.

What is your top goal in football life?

As sad as it is for me to say this I would like to play for teams overseas, in countries where ladies soccer is taken more seriously and they are given the support and respect they deserve compared to South Africa.

Who is the sports icon that has influenced you and why?

My sports icon was Amanda Sister. For me it was just really inspiring to see a soccer player who comes from Port Elizabeth play for Banyana Banyana, it just showed me that it's possible even if you come from a small township.

Any motivation you would like to share with players.

In the words of Abby Wambach, soccer is all about teamwork no player has ever dribbled the whole field and scored a goal by themselves.