At the University of Pretoria, student sport has always been about performance, discipline, and pride. But in 2026, there is a new layer shaping the student-athlete experience, one that exists far beyond the field, court, or track. It lives on screens, in captions, and through carefully curated highlight reels. Welcome to the era where athletes do not just play the game; they post it.
And that is exactly what the journey of Sinenjabulo Zungu shows. As CEO of AmaZulu FC, her experience is not built on shortcuts or luck; it is built on stepping into spaces that are challenging and staying there.
The first thing to understand is that this kind of leadership does not come from playing it safe. Zungu admits that being in a male-dominated industry is not always comfortable, and it is not supposed to be. But that discomfort? That is where the growth is. Those are the spaces that stretch you, test you, and, if you are willing, shape you into someone who can actually lead.
And then there are the moments that do not look like challenges, but feel like them. The subtle ones. The kind that leaves you thinking, “Was that just me, or…?” Being underestimated is not always loud. Sometimes it is quiet, and that almost makes it worse. But instead of reacting, there is a different approach: prove it. Not once, not loudly, but consistently. Let the work speak. Let the results make it clear that you are not there by chance, and definitely not by favour.
In this space, credibility is everything. You do not get to just take authority; you build it. And you build it by doing more, showing up properly, and delivering even when no one is expecting you to. Over time, that kind of consistency becomes impossible to ignore.
At the same time, football itself is slowly starting to catch up. Zungu affirms that women are no longer just watching from the sidelines; they are in the game, in the offices, and in the decisions. It might be a slow shift, but it is a real one. The more women show up in these spaces without shrinking themselves, the harder it becomes for the industry to pretend they do not belong.
And maybe the most interesting part is that leadership does not have to look the same as it always has. There is room to do it differently. Zungu believes women bring certain unique perspectives to leadership. Being perceptive, emotionally aware, and organised are not soft skills – they are strong ones. They change how teams function, how decisions are made, and how environments feel. Leading like that does not make you less effective; if anything, it makes you more effective.
For anyone thinking there is no place for them in football, that is not true. The game is bigger than just playing. There are so many roles behind the scenes, and leadership is one of them. It is just about finding where you fit and actually going for it.
And yes, things are changing. Slowly, but surely. More women are stepping into leadership roles, more clubs are opening those doors, and that shift is only going to grow. Eventually, it will not be surprising to see women in these positions; it will be normal.
So, how do you become the girl who runs the club? You do not wait to be invited. You do not shrink to fit into the space. And you definitely do not rely on anyone to hand it to you. You step in, you prove yourself, and you stay. And at some point, without even realising it, you are not just in the room anymore. You are running it.
Visual: Jemma Thomson
