The 2023 Momentum Women in Sports Summit recently took place at the Gordon Institute of Business Science in Johannesburg, where a number of powerful women from various sports convened to network, share ideas and celebrate in their brilliance. One of the women in attendance was former South African Football Association Director of Women's Football Fran Hilton-Smith, who took time out to speak to Soccer Laduma.
The 2023 Momentum Women in Sports Summit is an important summit for women in sport. Could you kindly provide us with your thoughts on the event?
Fran Hilton-Smith: Well, fantastic. I think having events like this will only empower women in sport and enable them to empower their athletes because we've seen in the last few weeks how successful our athletes can be in many fields, football, netball, etcetera. And we have to keep developing our athletes because when it comes, for instance, to football, I always used to tell my colleagues at FIFA when I started working for FIFA, that we have the best athletes in the world and they used to laugh at me, but now I think I'm laughing because we've really proven on different stages how good our athletes can be if they're given the opportunities.
It must have been a proud moment for you to see the progress made by Banyana Banyana at the FIFA Women's World Cup?
FHS: Yeah, of course. I'm very proud. It's a lifetime achievement for me. But of course, the thanks must go to the club owners, the managers, the coaches who develop these players under very difficult circumstances and with very little money, and it just shows, like one of the Italian players said, proper development structures, school football, sponsors, we can win the World Cup, of that I have no doubt. We never really thought or many people didn't think the girls would get out of the group and for them to get out of that group is a major achievement taken many years to get to this level, but now anything is possible in the next World Cup.
Four years ago, we were at the World Cup and we lost all of our games, didn't score. Then this year, we won our first game, progressed to the round of 16. The progress is evident – but what is the next step?
FHS: Well, the next logical step is to build on the success and to qualify now for the Olympics, that's the next big step. We've got to get to the Olympics and I'm pretty sure that with all the things that the girls have been through now on and off the field, they can only do well at the Olympics. The COSAFA [Cup] is coming up as well, we have to get that title back. So, I think the future of football, both of women's football bodes very well and I foresee our girls really improving if we can host the World Cup in 2027, I think our girls certainly can get to the quarters, if not further. You know, there were many opportunities in this World Cup where we could have beaten Sweden, we could have beaten Argentina, we could have beaten the Netherlands and we've got to build on that.
Do you think it would be better to follow the American model where the clubs are stand alone, or maybe the European one where the men's clubs have women's teams? What do you think would be more practical in this sense?
FHS: Look, I think in South Africa, the practical thing would be for the women's teams to fall under PSL teams that have already been mandated by CAF, it's something when I was on the technical committee, I fought a lot for because it just makes it easier for the women's team. They have the fields, the kit, the equipment, and the support. I think having the clubs under PSL is definitely the way to go - to start with!
With the help of sponsors, do you think it can be implemented in the future that the Hollywood Super League transformed traditionally?
FHS: Yeah, look, we must aim for that because the woman need to make a living at football and at the moment, the ones who go overseas are the only ones that can really live off the game, so professional football would certainly encourage many more women to take up the sport, because then they don't have to work. They can play football and we need sponsors to come because that's all that's missing. The structures are in place, the Hollywood Bets, the Sasol League - but we need the sponsors to come and push for this professional league, even government. I mean PSL has millions, they should also support the women.
We saw some steps being taken with each Banyana Banyana player set to walk away with a guaranteed R1.1 million thanks to FIFA...
FHS: I think them getting paid for what they've done is only well deserved. And if it was me, the women's team's been so successful compared to Bafana, I mean, the last they won (a title) was '96, so the women must be rewarded for their efforts, it must be equal pay for equal work or equal achievement. And winning or getting to the World Cup, getting to the next round, no team, men or women, has ever achieved it. So, we really are on an upward trajectory here and we must build on that.
Do you think we'll get to a point where we see the pay gap between the two genders closes in sport?
FHS: Yes, absolutely. I think many countries have already made the decision to pay the women equally and definitely I think we are gonna head for that and it's something we will push for because success deserves to be rewarded and the women are extremely successful. The whole world is talking about Banyana not just in South Africa. My colleagues from FIFA from around the world are all contacting me and really jumping up and down at the brilliance of Banyana.
