Janine van Wyk is one of the most recognisable stars of the women’s game in Africa, and has been a key figure in South Africa’s recent successes within the continental and international arena.
Born in Alberton, in South Africa’s Gauteng Province, in 1987, van Wyk has come a long way since she first cultivated a passion for the sport as a youngster.
She began playing when she was six, and represented Scaw Metals in Germiston, to the east of Johannesburg, after being told she had to play with the boys.
Editors' Picks
It wasn’t an easy road, and despite being given the cold shoulder by some of her teammates, the young Afrikaner was toughened up by this early toil.