Posted by In 2010, when the FIFA World Cup was being held in South Africa, a human interest story in the province of Limpopo gained international attention. A group of women, ranging in age from their 40s to their 80s, had started playing soccer a few years prior to improve their health. Dubbed the “Soccer Grannies” – and led by a humanitarian nicknamed Mama Beka, who’s been compared to Mother Teresa – they exuded joy on the pitch and demonstrated that getting older didn’t mean your life had to go downhill.
Their story came to the attention of Jean Duffy, a mom in Lexington, Massachusetts, who had started a soccer team for women in their 40s after watching her daughters play the game. Jean got in touch with Beka, which led to a life-changing trip to the U.S. for her team and an opportunity to learn about the selflessness, faith, and community that motivated these grandmothers to take up sports in their later years. Jean turned that story into the Christopher Award-winning book “Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World,” and we discussed it recently on “Christopher Closeup” (podcast below).
“Beka Ntsanwisi is absolutely the heroine of this story” because of her caring spirit, Jean explained. “Even as a young girl, she saw kids walking long distances…to get to school, watched them study all day with nothing to eat, and then start their long walk home. And so, young Beka went to her parents’ larder and took some food to share with those students…As an adult, Beka hosted a talk show on national radio, and people would call in with their problems, perhaps requesting a wheelchair or assistance to conduct a proper funeral for a relative. Beka would coordinate the resources needed to assist. Over the years, she helped the impoverished in her community in many ways. The AIDS epidemic hit South Africa very hard, and women lost adult children, sometimes more than one, to the disease. These women found themselves responsible for eight or 10 or 12 grandchildren. They needed to clothe and feed and house them, so Beka collected donations to help them out. Beka also helped fund the education of young adults, helping them to find jobs.”
Beka’s good works did not protect her from personal hardship, however. But even then, she turned it into a way to lift others up. After being diagnosed with colon cancer at age 35, she needed treatment in the hospital. There, she saw many older women “suffering from heart disease, diabetes, and various mobility issues.” Rather than focusing on her own suffering, Beka asked the doctor how she could help these women.
He responded that their conditions were largely caused by stress, and that exercise would improve their health, just as it would Beka’s health as she recovered from chemotherapy treatments. So, Beka invited these grandmothers to start an exercise program with her. At first, that mainly involved taking walks. But one day, some boys playing soccer let the ball get away from them, and it rolled over to Beka’s group. They started kicking it around and truly having a good time. Beka noticed this, and the Soccer Grannies were born.
That birth was not without its challenges, though. Many in their community reacted negatively to grandmothers engaging in sports, believing their proper place was in the home taking care of grandchildren. The Grannies were having too good of a time to give up, however, and eventually they won over the naysayers. They also achieved their goal of improved health.
Jean explained, “Their blood pressures were lower. Their cholesterol was reduced. The doctors were surprised. Some of the grannies boast they don’t take any medications now, and they have better movement. Some of them threw away canes that they previously relied upon…This team formed a new circle of supportive friends around them. If someone misses a practice, they call or check by the house to make sure everything’s okay. If they’re hitting one of life’s rocky periods, they help each other out. They pray together, they sing and dance together. They also make a small donation as they can at each practice. They have a team bank account, and they decide together when to draw upon those funds and put them to good use. Physically, emotionally, and socially they’ve benefited from the game.”
After Jean connected with Beka, she invited her and the Soccer Grannies – whose team name is Vakhegula Vakhegula, F.C., which means “Grandmother, Grandmother” – to come to the U.S. for the Veterans Cup Tournament in Massachusetts. Arranging that trip and the money for it is a story in itself, told by Jean in the book, but it all eventually worked out, allowing international friendships to be formed.
At the heart of all the Soccer Grannies’ lives is their faith. Jean said, “[Beka] once said that helping people is a God-given talent…She takes on ambitious projects that, to others, might seem impossible, but she states her dreams with such conviction, and accomplishes great things as a result of voicing her vision and sharing it. I believe that her trust in God is fundamental…She knows that He’ll help make it happen.”
“Every single one of the women spoke about their strong faith and what a comfort praying provided them to get through the tough periods in their life,” Jean continued. “The faith helped them to put just one foot in front of the other and carry on. Granny Nora talked about hunger at different parts of her life. She said in her interview that when she has difficulties…she kneels down and prays and reports her problems to God, and that makes her happy. Granny Khune had two sons die and was very worried about her grandchildren. She talked about that if someone was a believer and they had tough problems, they would say, ‘Tell your knees.’ By this they meant, get down on your knees and pray. Attending church gave her the hope that her kids would be under God’s care and they would be okay. Despite all these struggles the women have faced in their lives, they now have a senior pension from the government, often more money than they’ve ever had in their lives. They have beloved family, whether that’s near or far. They have this team forming a new circle of friends. They’ve taken control of their health, and they have their faith. As Granny Nora says, ‘My soul has settled,’ and what a gift [that is] at this time of their life.”
In 2011, the year after the Soccer Grannies came to the U.S., Jean, several members of her soccer team and others from their families traveled to South Africa for a “joyous reunion. They swarmed around us as we stepped out of the cars, hugging us, singing and dancing. We had a fun scrimmage on the soccer field where it doesn’t matter if you don’t speak the same language. You’re all working towards the same goal.”
A lot has happened since 2011, of course, but the Soccer Grannies are still going – and growing – strong. Jean said, “That team and Beka have inspired over 240 teams of grannies across South Africa and other African countries as well. If you think about it, that’s thousands of older women who are healthier, more confident, feeling empowered, and with this additional community of support.”
“Last year, another of Beka’s dreams was realized, a dream she mentioned in 2010 when she was here in the U.S. She said, ‘Before I die, I want to host a Grannies World Cup.’ And in 2023 – this is beyond the pages of the book – the South African women hosted the first ever Grannies International Football Tournament, bringing together 16 teams of women over 50 from across Africa, the U.S., and Europe, all with a shared passion for the game. It was an amazing experience, parading through the town with our teams behind the flags of our nation and marching into a packed stadium. It’s just amazing how far these women have come [from] when they were first told they belong at home. Now, they’re the heroes filling the stadium with an international event. The women who had come to the US are now mostly in their 80s, and they’re still playing soccer regularly. But for this event, they were cheering from the stands… There’s a lot more information about the book and the Grannies on my website jeanduffy.com. If you’re inspired about what you’ve heard today, please read the book and spread the word about their story. I’m donating all book proceeds to the Beka Ntsanwisi Foundation.”
(To listen to my full interview with Jean Duffy, click on the podcast link):
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