The excellence of my role model made me play football again.

1. Tell us about yourself

My name is Keitumetse Molefe, I'm 22 years old and I was born and raised in Pankop which is a small village in Mpumalanga, Dr JS Moroka district. I'm a alumna at the University of Witwatersrand's Targeting Talent Programme (TTP, 2013 - 2015 cohort) and I'm currently studying for a National Diploma in Financial Information Systems at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Ga-Rankuwa campus. I've recently started playing for the University's B team known as Vikings Ladies F.C.

2. At what age did u start playing football?

I started playing football when I was 6 years old and I would frequently play with the boys during lunch breaks at my primary School as there were no available teams to play for then.

In 2010 my family and I relocated to Mmametlhake and I enrolled at Mmamatli Combined School where I got the opportunity to play for the A team and through collective confidence and unanimous team spirit we managed to win the Mmametlhake circuit cup, personally it was a game changer for me as I started to take my football career seriously and joined a local team called Zebra Force. We played lots of local tournaments and we lost most of them as we were inconsistent with our training and the team gradually collapsed due to the majority of the team members having massive personal responsibilities to account for. I then started playing for Metlhareng FC where I was the only girl in the team, the coach of the team only allowed me to train with them as he was afraid that I'd get my little bones broken if I played the matches, as most of the players were in their mid-20s.

In the late 2012 I joined a local team called Flavour FC ladies, we played local tournaments and in early 2013 we made our first debut in the Sasol Regional Tournament in Witbank, and unfortunately during the course of the tournament I had a groin dislocation injury which left me paralysed for 2 months, and I instantly saw my football career go down the drain, because I thought I'd never be able to play let alone walk properly ever again. My family was extremely frustrated and permanently banned me from playing football ever again.

After the passing of my grandmother, I decided to get back to playing football again and I've recently joined a very phenomenal team with super skilled players called Vikings Ladies FC.

3. Did you have a strength of support throughout your football journey? And who were those people who supported you?

In the early stages of my football career both my mother and grandmother were supportive, long as my academic performance matched my passion for football, until I suffered an injury and they didn't allow me to play anymore.

4. As a new player in your current team, what challenges have you faced so far?

The challenges I've faced thus far are, adapting to the excellent training style of the team and getting my stronger foot to play the same football I use to play before the ban.

5. Some players have a special routine they do before every game, do yoh have a special routine or superstition before you play a game?

I used to Meditate and journal before each match, before the ban, in order to free my mind from fear and anxiety, and it has really helped me a lot to subconsciously prepare for the game.

6. As a player you are right now, do you think it's your responsibility to encourage the next person if you see that they need to be encouraged?

I believe it is our responsibility as players to encourage each other not only in football, but through all walks of life because life is challenging and football is no exception. Reaching out by words of praise & encouragement can assist one to develop confidence, motivate them to do better and make them feel good about themselves.

7. What is your goal in football life?

My short-term goal is to work and overall field performance to push myself closer to the long-term goal of playing and winning the National Women's League.

8. Who is the sports icon which influenced the most and why?

Hildah Magaia, when I first saw her on TV I was thrilled, exhilarated and overwhelmed by the type of football she plays as it resonates with mine. How she's able to adapt to the game and play wide, at the tip of a midfield diamond and centrally, offers the team enough flexibility to force the opponent's defence to open up which create opportunities for the team to score. Also her decision-making, tactical awareness, creativity, agility, balance, and ball control skills are what influenced me to play football again.

9. Any motivation you would like to share with players.

You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their success and encourage them to win more. When we help one another, everybody wins.