Second Round WP Cricket Matches Null and Void
13 December 2019 Author: Staff Writer
Cape Town woman football sensation Kelso Peskin has been signed by Toulouse Football Club, aka Toulouse FC Féminines, in France to become at least the seventh local woman footballer to join an overseas team in the past five months.
Peskin, who was instrumental in Vasco Da Gama’s successful Sasol League Western Cape campaign this year, will link up with her new teammates in January 2020 until the end of the current season in June (with an option to be renewed). She had just returned to South Africa in December 2018 from the United States where she spent a total of four years in separate stints furthering both her academic and sporting careers.
“I’m excited to join Toulouse and hope to help them get back to winning ways,” Peskin told Cape at 6 Sport this week. “I’m also very nervous but it helps that I spent a week with the team in early November so at least I will know the girls when I get there”.
Her move follows that of the Maties FC duo of Cassidy Arendse and Isabelle Bertossi who went to the United States in August, and the four rising RV United stars of Ember Edwards, Nwabisa Goba, Thina Ganto and Kuhle Madlokazi who went to the same country in September.
France is one of the leading countries in women football and Peskin said it was not difficult to accept the Toulouse offer. “And on my visit the coaching staff and players made me feel so welcomed and part of the team it was honestly really hard to say no”.
What would she like to achieve in Europe?
“My objective is to help the team get back to winning ways, and grow as a player while helping others to grow, too. I want to be better than I am. There’s always room for improvement and I’m willing to learn and grow as an individual,” the Kaizer Chiefs supporter noted.
Peskin, who has played for Banyana Banyana as well as Under 17 and Under 20 national teams, believes her move to Europe will take her football to a higher level. “It will teach me things that I may not have learnt over the years that I have been playing. I’m excited to learn and be a better player. It’s definitely a higher level of football in Europe so I’m excited to grow and be on that level. I’m excited to go on this new journey”.
For her rise in football Peskin, who is also a big fan of Manchester United in the English Premier League, credited her dad, Nathan Peskin (pictured above), who was also her coach at Vasco this season and when she played for the University of the Western Cape in the past. “His work ethic and dedication is unbelievable. He has helped shaped me into the person and player I am today and I couldn’t thank him enough for all what he has done. He has always motivated me and pushed me – and himself – to be the best we can be.”
She has encouraged wannabe women footballers to “keep working hard and not give up just because things are hard or not going your way. We can all overcome challenges that God put in front of us. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Be your own motivator, put in the hard work and you will succeed in all that you do”.
Vasco Da Gama have been knocked out of the Sasol League National Championships and their dream of qualifying for the Women’s National League has disappeared, but head coach Nathan Peskin said his team should hold their heads high.
The Western Cape Sasol League champions finished at the bottom of Group B after losing 3-1 to Ixias FC of the Free State on Tuesday, which was followed by a 1-1 stalemate with KwaZulu-Natal-based Sunflower FC.
Head coach Nathan Peskin said his team played “exceptional well” but poor officiating coupled with adverse weather conditions counted against them. “I can say undoubtedly that Vasco Da Gama was one of the top four teams in that tournament,” he said.
In both matches Vasco conceded penalties that Nathan believe were incorrectly awarded and a goal that seemed illegitimate was allowed to stand in favour of the opposition. “We were 1-0 up in the second half (of the first match) when the ref awarded a penalty to the opposition which was never a penalty. Just shortly thereafter our keeper punches a ball from a corner. It hits our defender’s head and the ball goes straight into the goalkeepers hands. The ref awards a goal. So it was sad.
“In our final match against Sunflower we played excellently. We were underdogs but played like champions. Again leading 1-0 until seven minutes from time the ref again awards a penalty against us again nowhere even close to a penalty. So these things really affect the outcome of games.”
Peskin said the heat was a scorching 35 degrees and the big stage got the better of his players. “But poor refereeing decisions against us didn’t help either.”