The tiny Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius is known for its beautiful beaches, sandy shores and tropical charm… but not yet for its football prowess.



Soccer remains hugely popular on the island, but with around 1.25-million people calling it home, it is the size of a modest city elsewhere on the continent.



That makes creating a competitive team on the international stage a challenge, but there are plans afoot to develop the game in Mauritius, especially for girls, to help the country punch above its weight.



Mauritius are among the lowest-ranked teams globally in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings, but with a new generation of starlets coming through, Mauritius Football Association (MFA) Women’s football development officer and Under-17 national team coach Anielle Collet can see a brighter future.



She has worked in football for the last 23 years, having been drawn to the game as a young girl herself, and has seen many positive changes.


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She believes football is not just a sport in Mauritius, but an important part of the social fabric of the island.



“It&#8217;s part of our culture,” Collet tells FORBES AFRICA. “You can see everyone eager every weekend to watch the games. From where I come from, a small island, football is like a community base; everyone involved in the game is part of this community.”



Collet has been at the forefront of football development in Mauritius for the past few years, and is proud of the progress made by the MFA with the professionalization and promotion of the women’s game.



“We can see that the level of competition is increasing more and more,” she says. “Also, we now have players that are playing abroad in France, the United States and Canada. We can see there is improvement and at the football association we are putting much effort into the promotion of women&#8217;s football.



“To market it and commercialize it, we have a social platform where it is visible everywhere. We can see this change now.



“Before, it was stagnant. But now there is an increase because we have academies and a league that is running. We started to have female coaches and the game generally has become more visible.”



The MFA has been following a strategic plan, starting at youth and grassroots level, to develop a clear player pathway to the senior national side and the professional level, according to Collet. This involves the improvement of not only players, but staff as well.



The impact of these initiatives has been positive, with the impact measurable and easy to see in certain areas of development.



“We can see now that there are more girls that are keen to play football because there are special programmes put in place by FIFA and football academies, and we can see that schools are starting to do inter-college matches (for girls),” Collet says.


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<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="889" height="1024" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/B24LESS0642-889x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-65448" style="width:606px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/B24LESS0642-889x1024.jpg 889w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/B24LESS0642-260x300.jpg 260w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/B24LESS0642-768x885.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/B24LESS0642-1334x1536.jpg 1334w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/B24LESS0642-1778x2048.jpg 1778w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/B24LESS0642.jpg 1851w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 889px) 100vw, 889px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Marie Chlotarina Clair of Mauritius (© Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix)</figcaption></figure></div>


Mauritius’ progress can be followed further when they compete in the COSAFA Under-17 Girls’ Championship in Windhoek, Namibia, from May 10-17.



“This will contribute to the development of a clear player pathway as they get the opportunity to showcase their talent at youth level on the COSAFA stage. This furthermore gives the players the opportunity to emerge at senior level,” Collet adds.

Football – 2024 COSAFA U17 Girls Championship – Zimbabwe v Mauritius – UJ Soweto B Stadium – Johannesburg

Football In Mauritius? How The Island Is Working Towards Its Goals For The Women’s Game

Thembi Kgatlana’s goal was to make a living playing abroad.
She is now proving to be a star of not just South African football but also the
African game.



As South African forward Thembi Kgatlana crashed home a volley in the closing minutes of their African Women’s Championship match against nemesis Nigeria, she wheeled away in celebration, accepting the passionate thanks of her teammates.



Kgatlana had sealed just a second victory for South Africa
over their old foes in 25 years of trying and for her, it capped a remarkable
2018 that has seen her thrust onto the global stage and into the best women’s
football league in the world.



The goal provided all you need to know about the Leratong
hospital-born footballer – the awareness to make the run, the speed to get away
from the defender, the confidence to take on the shot and the technique to
finish past the goalkeeper.



Kgatlana must be one of the quickest players in women’s
football, but she has been eager to show in the last 12 months that her game is
about much more than pace and she has certainly developed quickly after a first
year spent at Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League in the United
States (US).



She was there with national teammates Janine van Wyk and
Linda Motlhalo in 2018, and will return with the latter in 2019 having had her
professional contract that she worked so hard to earn, renewed for another
season.



She had hoped to move abroad after the 2016 Olympic Games,
where she represented South Africa, but it took a further 18 months for a club
to finally take a punt on her talent.



“The wait has been worth it,” Kgatlana tells FORBES WOMAN
AFRICA with a broad smile, adding her debut for Dash was unforgettable despite
a 3-0 loss.



“It was a moment I had always dreamed of, that I had waited
for so long for and made so many sacrifices for. I’ll cherish it for the rest
of my life.”



She says her goal has always been to play abroad and make a
living out of football. The South African domestic scene is still amateur and
cannot provide that support.



“It’s a dream I have been working towards for the whole of
my life, since I started playing as an eight year old, working my way through
the junior national teams, then to the senior national team. It’s been a long
and a hard road, but I’m here now,” Kgatlana says.



She admits her first year in the US was an eye-opener in
terms of the level of football and the commitment players put into the game.



“You really have to work hard, everyone is professional and
most have been playing at this level for quite a while. They have the
experience.



“It’s all about learning and adapting quickly. In life, you
face challenges and it’s up to you what you do with those.



“I had to drop out of school [University of the Western
Cape] in my final year to wear a professional jersey and to be in the fold to
win a contract with a big club.



“I hope it motivates a lot of girls back home to show that
anything is possible and dreams do come true.”



The 22-year-old made 16 appearances in her first season with
Dash, scoring two goals but also providing a number of assists.



She was used a lot as an impact player off the bench, her
extreme pace allowing her to glide past weary defenders in the closing stages
of matches. She will want to turn those into more starts in 2019, but also
understands her role within the side.



It is also something she has taken on with the national
side, known as Banyana Banyana, where she has been an integral part of the
set-up for some time, and was named Player of the Tournament when the team
lifted the COSAFA Women’s Championship in 2016.



While one player’s career can never be defined by a single
goal, Kgatlana has managed to write her name into the history books of Banyana
with what is one of the more famous strikes against a Nigerian side that has
been the number one team in Africa for many years.



“It was the most amazing feeling ever, because I knew that
if I let it bounce a second time, I might not get the chance,” Kgatlana says.



“It’s either I hit it and I see what happens, or I don’t hit
it. The adrenaline was rushing, because every time I get into the box, I’m
still deciding. But at the moment, when the ball bounced, it was now or never.”



Kgatlana has announced herself as a genuine star of not just
South African football but also the African game and her challenge in the
coming years will be to kick-on and continue to improve.



She certainly has the drive, passion and the skill to do so, and her development into potential global icon over the next few years will be fascinating to watch.



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Nick Said </li></ul>

Tag: COSAFA Women’s Championship

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Football In Mauritius? How The Island Is Working Towards Its Goals For The Women’s Game

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