Kenneth Harlan Simmons: The goal is to elevate women’s football in Gauteng

Amakhosi suffered a 2-0 defeat to defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies in their debut league fixture at Tsakane Stadium on Sunday.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Simmons says it was a special moment to witness the first generation of female Kaizer Chiefs players take to the field.

“Look, I think the vision for us as a club has always been to create a platform for talented African players to thrive, and the same needs to be extended to the women’s game. For us, it is about competing, it is about excellence, and finally giving the fans what they have been asking for. The appetite for a women’s team has always been there,” said Simmons.

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Simmons added that their opening league defeat is not a setback, as the club remains focused on the long-term vision of developing their young squad.

“Our vision is to compete at the highest level. We have assembled a young squad that still needs to be nurtured and developed. We know that eventually they will get to where we want them to be - it is just a matter of patience and supporting the girls,” added Simmons.

Simmons also revealed that the club was intentional about putting together a professional pre-season programme to help instil the Kaizer Chiefs style of play.

“We have a very talented squad and what you are seeing currently is us working on building strong team cohesion. They are a new group of players, so learning to play together is very important. We are happy with our pre-season because it was about instilling the club’s style of play. We want the players to not only produce positive results, but also play entertaining football,” he expressed.