Van Wyk expects tough competition from new faces in Banyana team
National squad to face Zambia in friendly game
Image: Shaun Roy/Gallo Images
Banyana Banyana captain Janine van Wyk expects new faces in the team to push the old guard hard for starting places as they prepare to take on Zambia in a friendly match in Lusaka on Saturday.
The team has been in camp since last week with locally based players, while internationally based players will only join them later this month for the important African Women’s Cup of Nations (Awcon) qualifiers against Algeria.
Veteran defender Van Wyk has been to many Banyana camps and she's pleased with how this one is going, praising the camaraderie among the ladies present. "The mood in the camp has been extremely exciting, everyone has been bubbly, laughing and just happy to be back in camp, especially after a long break," said Van Wyk. "Our last camp was in the Cosafa Cup, so now there are new faces."
Van Wyk commended the new faces for putting in the hard work and making sure there's competition for places ahead of the Zambia match.
"There's a good, healthy challenge, everyone is fighting for a spot in the team. The preparation has been really well. You can tell with the intensity, it is so high in training. Everyone is willing to put in the hard work knowing we have a big year ahead of us," said the skipper.
The big year Van Wyk was talking about includes qualifying for the Awcon and the prestigious Fifa Women's World Cup which will be in 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.
"It will be good to see where we are in terms of our fitness and just building chemistry ahead of our qualifier against Algeria. We can't wait to get rolling once again and to be comfortable and work towards a common goal which is getting into the Awcon and then the World Cup," said van Wyk.