For the third time in a row, the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, has a women’s team competing for promotion to South Africa’s senior league.
Ixias FC, the team of the CUT’s Welkom campus, has qualified for this year’s national championship in the Sasol League.
The buoyant team once again beat its arch-rival, the University of the Free State (UFS), provincially to claim the slot.
The victorious team won 1 – 0 in a decider fixture played in Virginia on 17 September.
Ixias’ hard-fought win extended the record against their Bloemfontein-based opponents. In 2021, the Welkom team narrowly beat the Kovsie women 2 – 1 to claim the bragging rights.
Last year, the CUT Bloemfontein team also competed for promotion to the senior women’s rank, the Hollywoodbets Super League.
The Ixias women are hoping to end their misfortune of failing to gain promotion to the top league at this year’s national promotion play-offs scheduled for 17 to 22 October in Bloemfontein.
This will be the first time the Free State will be the stage for the national promotion final.
The event will see nine women’s clubs represent their respective provinces, battling it out for two available slots in the senior league.
Currently, the league comprises 16 teams with the Free State not represented.
If the CUT Welkom women gain promotion to the senior league, such an achievement will see them fill the void that followed the selling of the Bloemfontein Celtic women’s franchise to the Durban-based businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize.
Mkhize also purchased the Celtic men’s franchise in 2021.
The sale saw both the men and women’s sides relocate to the coastal city.
This being Ixias’ second chance to gain promotion to the top division, it is expected that the improvement of the team’s overall performance will be their main focus.
For winning the provincial championship, Ixias received a gold medal, a floating trophy, plus R50 000 in prize money.
The Kovsies team received a silver medal and a R30 000 cash prize.
For winning the provincial championship, Ixias received a gold medal, a floating trophy, plus R50 000 in prize money.
