The third edition of the NFA Galz and Goals league kicked off in Windhoek recently and already some talent has been unearthed in the form of 13-year-old Lucinda Kasume who plays for Moses van der Byl Primary School.
The striker hopes to one day play for the Brave Gladiators and represent the country in the World Cup.
“I actually started playing football when I was much younger with my brothers and cousins and that was when I first realised how much I love the game,” Lucinda said about how she first got involved with football.
“When I started going to school we didn’t have a girls team so I was not playing football for a long time, it was only last year when our coach (Mr Mbakera) asked for girls who wanted to play football that I started again.”
Lucinda says the other reason she wants to play for the Gladiators is because of their recent good form that saw them qualify for the second round of the London 2012 Olympic Qualifiers where they were subsequently beaten by the current African Champions Nigeria, 7-0 in Abuja and 2-0 in Windhoek.
“They are a really good team and I think when I am old enough, I will be able to play just like them,” she added.
Her favourite players in the team are Stacey Naris and Zenatha Coleman.
“I like Stacey and Zenatha because I have seen them play and they are really good and I want to end up just like them especially now that they got the opportunity to go and play in a club in Germany,” Lucinda said.
Naris and Coleman were invited to play for fifth league team Borussia Bocholt in the Westphalia region in Germany in August.
In a country were some young girls do not have the support of their families when they decide to play football because of the fact that it is traditionally a male sport, Lucinda is happy that her mother is very supportive of her decision to play.
“I am very grateful to my mother who buys my soccer boots and the other things I need when I play,” the Grade seven pupil said.
“The rest of my family are very happy with me playing football and in fact they say I take after my uncles who were always playing. They also encourage me to continue playing because they think I will be able to do greater things as long as I am a soccer player.”
Last year, her school finished third in the U13 league after Young Beauties beat them 2-0 in the semi finals. They then went on to beat the German Pumpkins 3-0 in the third place playoff to finish third.
“Last year we did not do as well as we wanted and finished third but this year I hope to be able to help my team finish first at the end of the season,” Lucinda said.
“My team this year is very good, and we have been playing well. There are other very talented girls in that team and I am confident at the end of the season we will be number one,” she concluded.