Her football career might have been short-lived but it was memorable. She led the South African Senior Women’s National Team squad at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and was also part of the team that represented South Africa at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Former Banyana Banyana captain turned football analyst, Amanda Dlamini retired in 2018 after 11 years, where she earned 105 caps. She looks back at some of the mistakes she made and how they have made her a better person.

HER JOURNEY

Her journey began with playing football in rural Harding in KwaZulu-Natal. "I grew up loving football. I wanted to get out and make some changes for my family," she says. "I didn’t think that I would leave home at such a young age to pursue the dream. But being a dreamer comes with sacrifices," she says. Amanda wanted to make her mom proud." She wasn’t happy with the idea of her only daughter playing soccer. She would have much rather seen me wash dishes or do something more feminine. Back in the rural areas, it’s also always the boy child that leaves to seek greener pastures. So, having to trust her only daughter moving to a bigger city in Johannesburg must have been scary for her. She needed to trust that what she taught me, I would take with me." 

EARLY RETIREMENT

After a fruitful career, Amanda retired. She says she had no plans of leaving the football pitch so soon. "I wasn’t aware that my career would be so short-lived. I didn’t anticipate it. But I have always been so authentic and different," she says. "In a team, there are brands that stand out. I just thank God that I didn’t leave the sport because of an injury. But my football career opened doors and allowed me to build my brand outside of soccer." 

 Picture: Amanda Dlamini/Instagram

MONEY MATTERS

Amanda wishes she would have been guided to make better financial decisions when she started her career. "We were not making much money at the start of my career. We probably earned R5 000 per game. So essentially being young, one believed that every cent belongs to your family," she says." I gave everything to my mom. But that was rewarding. My mom is also very financially savvy, so I got a lot of help from her to save. My first pay cheque went to buy floor tiles for our house. But thank God that at the time, I had a sports bursary which helped me to save. " After leaving football as a player, Amanda had to find her feet as an analyst." It was very difficult. I had to stop being humble and show my face. I didn’t have representation. I had to know what I stand for and be in tune with myself. It takes a lot of character," she says.