Kaizer Chiefs Ladies’ third-place finish lays foundation for next season, says Mabena

Kaizer Chiefs Ladies coach Unathi Mabena believes her side’s third-place finish in their first SAFA Gauteng Provincial League campaign has given the club a strong platform to build on next season.

Amakhosazana ended their 2026 season with a 1-0 win against University of Johannesburg Ladies at The Village on Saturday, completing a campaign in which they collected 70 points from 22 victories in 28 matches.

Although they narrowly missed out on the promotion play-offs, Mabena was pleased with how her players performed in a highly competitive league. Wits University Ladies finished second, two points above Kaizer Chiefs Ladies, to take the play-off place.

“I am super proud of the team, super proud of my players, it is our first season and to be in the top three in our first season with 70 points is massive for us. Having lost only two games, I’m very, very proud of the players, very proud of the efforts that they’ve given,” Mabena said.

Kaizer Chiefs Ladies began the season with a defeat by Sundowns, but gradually established consistency. Mabena said a loss to Blue Birds in the middle of the campaign proved to be an important turning point.

“We did start off a little bit slow with our first game having lost against Sundowns but I think we built momentum going forward. I think in the middle of the season with our loss to Blue Birds turned our season around,” she added.

“After that game we managed to go unbeaten up until the last game of the season. I think we had a pretty good run and I’m super proud of what the players have achieved.”

The coach said finishing third was beyond the expectations the squad had set before the campaign, while also praising the players for adapting to difficult playing conditions and different tactical demands.

“As a team we set ourselves some goals and I think ending up being third is more than what we could have imagined. I’m happy with the performance of the players, I’m happy with the efforts, I’m happy with where we have landed. I think we have set ourselves a good foundation going into next season.”

Mabena also highlighted the challenges presented by uneven playing surfaces and the need to adjust their approach according to each opponent.

“It’s not an easy fit, we go into sort of games where the field is not the best of fields but we’re happy with how the players have managed to adapt to those different scenarios and adapt to different tactics that we ask them to apply especially based on the opposition that we come up against. So, I’m happy with how we performed this season.”