Wendy Shongwe has narrated how she made a promise to her father to play football over athletics while in school.
The 20-year-old is currently a student at the University of Pretoria and is part of South Africa’s squad at the ongoing 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Playing football was however not straightforward for her as she started out in athletics where she excelled and that was what her mother wanted her to venture into. Shongwe’s father however wanted her to play football and she had to make a compromise that would satisfy her parents.
“The story started when I was young. When you are young, you tend to do a lot of sports, so I started doing athletics and then soccer,” Shongwe told FIFA+
“I was doing both of them. Then when my primary [school] year ended, I had to decide which sport I wanted to continue. You could only do one sport. So, I sat down with my parents. My dad wanted me to play soccer but my mum wanted me to do athletics. So, I told my mum I would do athletics then after my matriculation year, I promised my dad that I will go back to soccer.
“I was a good athlete. When I was 10 years [of age], I was a national champion. In 2017, I ran, I also came third in the 800 metres with the time of 2 minutes 13 seconds so yeah I was a pretty good athlete.
“Then in 2021, after I finished my matriculation, that’s when I went back to soccer and I played my first varsity game. Then I was named player of the tournament and I got my first national t call-up with Banyana Banyana.
“My dad loved me in soccer and when he saw my name in the final World Cup squad, he called me and he was in tears of joy, he was so proud of me. He told me ‘This is what I love for you. This is what God made for you. So, I’m happy that you made the right choice. The dreams that you have been dreaming about or that you have been telling me about have finally come true.’”
#TuksFootball: #MondayMotivation
Wendy Shongwe is part of the final Banyana Banyana squad to represent ???????? at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
She is a BEd student at UP-Tuks.#Elevate2Greatness ⭐️????
[Photo credit: #regcaldecott] pic.twitter.com/4Wgie8OY0D
— #TuksSport (@TuksSport) June 26, 2023
Shongwe concludes by explaining how football and being at the Women’s World Cup has changed her life.
“You know in athletics, you only stop when you reach the finish line so with me, no matter how hard the race is, you need to finish the race,” she stated.
“So, what I took from athletics to soccer is that no matter how hard the game is, you need to play until the final whistle. For me, at this point, football means a lot to me. It has changed my life. I’m now exposed to a big tournament like this [Women’s World Cup] and it is a life-changing thing for me.”
Shongwe is yet to feature at the Women’s World Cup, being an unused substitute in South Africa’s Group G games against Sweden and Argentina.
She could have her chance against Italy in the final Group G game in Wellington on Wednesday, with Banyana Banyana needing all three points to potentially book a spot in the Women’s World Cup knockout phase for the very first time.
