Vakhegula Vakhegula FC's members range in age from 51 to 84 and take their sport very seriously.
Listen to this article 9 min Listen to this article 9 min A group of soccer players have gathered on the field at Nkowankowa Stadium outside Tzaneen in Limpopo. It's a chilly afternoon, the mountains beyond are shrouded in cloud, and the field is winter brown with some unforgiving dusty patches.
Undeterred, the players chatter loudly and excitedly get into gear, discarding beanies, jackets and scarves for shorts and T-shirts. Then they hit the field for a brisk warm-up.
These are not just any soccer players. They are the soccer gogos (grannies) of Limpopo, Vakhegula Vakhegula FC. In a nod to our national team, Bafana Bafana (Boys Boys in isiZulu), they call themselves Vakhegula Vakhegula (Grandmothers Grandmothers in Xitsonga).
The youngest is 51, the oldest 84, and they've been flying the flag in Nkowankowa for 17 years. Some have died, others have joined, but they continue to meet every Tuesday and Thursday for practice.
Midfielder Anna Vuma (84) - her nickname on the field is Bull - remembers with singular clarity the day on which Vakhegula Vakhegula FC started. "It was on Wednesday, 13 August 2007 at 2.30pm," she says. "I was given a football by Beka Ntsanwisi and encouraged...
