Cape Town Soccer Grannies gear up for Soweto tournament

At 75, Yasmin Johnson is helping Cape Town women find friendship on the football pitch. Now she faces another challenge: raising the money to get a team to Soweto.

Johnson leads Soccer Grannies Cape Town, bringing together women aged 50 and older from communities across the city.

The team is preparing to compete against other soccer grannies teams from across South Africa at a tournament scheduled for October 3 and 4, 2026, at the Nike Stadium in Soweto.

A new beginning

Yasmin Johnson had never kicked a football before 2024. She became interested in the sport after travelling to Mauritius with a senior women’s team from Limpopo.

Inspired by the players’ camaraderie and the physical benefits of the game, she returned to Cape Town determined to establish a similar initiative.

“Up until 2024, I had never kicked a ball in my life,” she said.

Her aim was to encourage active ageing while bringing women from diverse communities together through sport. Players come from Gugulethu, Delft, Athlone, Bridgetown, Bonteheuwel, Langa, Thornton and Mitchells Plain.

Some players have experience representing Banyana Banyana, South Africa’s senior women’s national team. They share their tactical knowledge with teammates who have never played football before.

The squad trains under the guidance of a coach from the local Medell family, a name deeply respected in local sporting circles. “If you tell anybody the Medell family, they will know exactly this is a soccer family,” Johnson said.

For some women, football fulfils a lifelong ambition. For others, it offers time away from household responsibilities.

“They want a little time for themselves away from home, the children and the grandchildren,” Johnson told IOL.

Football on a pension

Many of the players face financial pressures. Johnson estimates that about 80% rely on the older persons grant.

The grant increased to R2,400 a month in April 2026, according to the Department of Social Development. Recipients older than 75 receive R2,420.

Players pay their own transport costs to attend training every Sunday. Johnson says a taxi costs R20 each way, which equals R40 per session; four Sundays costs R160 a month.

The team also faces substantial costs ahead of its planned trip to Soweto for a tournament on October 3 and 4, 2026.

Johnson estimates that return flights from Cape Town to Johannesburg would cost about R4,000 per person. The team therefore plans to travel by long-distance bus, some by flight, and other shared road transport. These costs are substantial for a club whose players largely rely on social grants.

Local transport in Johannesburg is expected to cost a further R11,000 for the four-day trip. The club is also seeking shared accommodation and funding for meals.

It needs sponsorship for 24 pairs of black football socks, two pairs for each of the 12 travelling players, as well as basic meals in Gauteng.

Play Sport4Life sponsored the team’s soccer kits. Johnson also approached some potential donors, but in many cases, the request falls outside these donor organisations’ mandates. 

“If we are not looking after our seniors,” Johnson said, “then I wonder, tomorrow what will we say?”

She also questioned the continuing debate over unequal pay and funding between Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana, with the issue already being raised by the Commission for Gender Equality, which called for greater equality in South African football.

Building a team across Cape Town

Johnson registered the club formally and opened a bank account to improve transparency and reassure potential sponsors.

She says expenditure is controlled through the club treasurer, even for small amounts. Johnson often pays many costs out of her own pocket.

Johnson is grateful to West End Soccer Club for providing a field for Soccer Grannies to practice each and every Sunday, without charging any fees.

On the pitch, matches consist of two 20-minute halves with a five-minute break. Rolling substitutions allow players to leave and re-enter the game based on their physical needs.

For Johnson, ubuntu is both a social principle and a football strategy. When one player is closely marked, teammates must identify open space and decide who is best placed to receive the ball.

The friendships extend beyond football. Women from communities separated by apartheid-era spatial planning now train together every week.

“Our team’s women come from all over Cape Town,” Johnson said. “They are the most beautiful people. We respect each other. We get on with the game. We follow the coach’s instructions, and that is it.”

A growing sporting record

In March 2025, the team travelled to Limpopo to take part in the GIFT 2025 international tournament.

She said the squad played against teams from France, England, Togo, and Kenya.

“It was interesting to meet people from outside South Africa,” Johnson recalled.

Johnson describes football as an important wellness intervention. She promotes personal responsibility for health, well-being, and finances to her team.

Gender-based violence and other topics of concern to senior women in the community will also be addressed in the near future.

“You are accountable for yourself, your health, your well-being, and your finances,” she said.

For Johnson, the club also provides a break from domestic routine, financial pressure, and isolation.

Living in the present

“The past is gone. You cannot undo all that. And the future, you do not know. So it is imperative for you to live in the present. Make the most of today,” Johnson said.

“Go out, enjoy the fun, enjoy the outside, enjoy the sunshine, because you do not know what tomorrow will bring.”

Her community work earned her a mayoral award for community service in 2025. Johnson said she was unaware that her councillor had nominated her.

“I always believe that if you do for others, it must be from your heart,” she said.

Because of limited space, only a single team from Cape Town can join the Soweto tournament. The Soccer Grannies and a senior Manenberg team have joined forces to travel together to Soweto.

For Johnson, the mission is always bigger than football.

Guided by Nelson Mandela’s famous belief that “sport has the power to change the world,” she views her time on the pitch as a profound duty, vowing to keep fighting for her country and her people for “as long as I can stand on my two feet,” she said. 

To help support the Soccer Grannies, email Yasmin Johnson at [email protected]

IOL