Maroon Machine intent on defending FNB Varsity Cup Women's title and making history

The brand-new FNB Varsity Cup Women’s campaign kicks off this Friday as defending champions FNB Maties host FNB UFH at the Danie Craven Stadium.

The fourth edition will be taking on a new format in 2026 that will see the tournament adopting the same format as the men’s FNB Varsity Cup and Shield tournaments in a bid to streamline the competition. The competitors will no longer be divided into two different pools, meaning that each team will have the chance to square off before meeting in the semi-finals and eventual final.

Coach Aneesah Adams is excited by her team’s prospects in 2026, "Pre-season has gone really well overall. The group has shown great commitment and work ethic from the start. Like most pre-seasons, we had a few challenges with managing injuries and balancing academic commitments, but the players have handled it really well. It’s also been a good opportunity to build depth in the squad and focus on our conditioning and core skills."

The Maroon Machine will have their sights set on defending their title and become the first team to lift the coveted title on three occasions.

Stellies will want to hit the ground running in their first outing where they’ll want to lay down a marker to build on for the rest of the campaign while entertaining their faithful supporters in the Cape winelands.

The Maties Women’s coach insists that the team's mindset hasn't changed as a result of heading into the campaign as champions, " Our approach hasn’t changed too much. We’ve focused on reinforcing our standards and reminding the players that success comes from consistency in the small things. We’ve also spoken about embracing the challenge of being a team that others want to beat, and using that as motivation rather than pressure".

Adams added, "Naturally there’s an expectation that comes with being champions, but internally our focus is more on performance and development of our recruitment pathways than outcome. If we continue to focus on our processes and execute what we’ve been working on, the results will take care of themselves" when asked if there was internal pressure to defend their title.

"What excites me most is seeing the group finally get the opportunity to put all the work from pre-season into a match environment. There’s a lot of energy in the squad and a strong sense of togetherness. It’s always special to see the players express themselves on the field and represent the university" said the Maties Women's mentor.

FNB Maties Women Squad: 

Sesethu Ntamnani, Lekobane Maria Masebe, Coby Mentoor, Sesethu Dumke, Devonite Swartz, Sarah Krone, Cate Coetzee, Courtney Hickson, Iviwe Mokhele, Stefney-Rose De Vire, Khanyisile Mpilingane, Gabby-Lee Davids, Palesa Matee, Taliyah Bussack, Zikhona Plaatjies, Ankia Viljoen, Elme Kruger, Jenna Meyer, Mijeane Fryer, Ilze Hattingh, Tiana Van Wyk, Confidence Ramonyatse, Sasha Kruger, Charmein Thopola, Janine Amutenja, Catherine Barton, Jo-eke Haas, Wendy Lewak.

By: Kieryn Thompson.