Soccer Grannies Inspire the World

In 2010, when the FIFA World Cup was being held in South Africa, Jean Duffy of Lexington, Massachusetts, saw a video about a group of women in the province of Limpopo, ranging in age from their 40s to their 80s, who had started playing soccer to improve their health. Dubbed the "Soccer Grannies" - and led by a humanitarian nicknamed Mama Beka, who's been compared to Mother Teresa - they exuded joy on the pitch and demonstrated that getting older didn't mean your life had to go downhill. As a soccer-playing mom herself, Jean connected with Beka, which led to a life-changing trip to the U.S. for her team and an opportunity to learn about the selflessness, faith, and community that motivated these grandmothers. Jean turned that story into the Christopher Award-winning book Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World.

"Beka Ntsanwisi is absolutely the heroine of this story," Jean explained during a Christopher Closeup interview. As a young girl, Beka would take food from her parents' cupboard to feed hungry children. As an adult, she hosted a national radio show on which listeners with problems would request "a wheelchair or assistance to conduct a proper funeral for a relative. Beka would coordinate the resources needed to assist. . . . The AIDS epidemic hit South Africa very hard, and women lost adult children . . . to the disease. These women found themselves responsible for eight, 10, or 12 grandchildren. They needed to clothe, feed, and house them, so Beka collected donations to help them out."

After being diagnosed with colon cancer at age 35, Beka needed treatment in the hospital. There, she saw many older women "suffering from heart disease, diabetes, and various mobility issues." Rather than focusing on herself, Beka asked the doctor how she could help these women. He responded that their conditions were largely caused by stress, and that exercise would improve their health, just as it would Beka's. So, Beka invited these grandmothers to start an exercise program with her. At first, that mainly involved taking walks. But one day, some boys playing soccer let the ball get away from them, and it rolled over to Beka's group. They started kicking it around and truly having a good time. Beka noticed this, and the Soccer Grannies were born.

After playing together for some time, Jean explained, "Their blood pressures were lower. Their cholesterol was reduced. Some of the grannies boast they don't take any medications now, and they have better movement... . . . This team formed a new circle of supportive friends around them. . . . If they're hitting one of life's rocky periods, they help each other out. They pray together, they sing and dance together."

At the heart of the Soccer Grannies' lives is their faith. Jean noted, "[Beka] once said that helping people is a God-given talent... . . . She takes on ambitious projects that might seem impossible, but she states her dreams with conviction, and accomplishes great things as a result. . . . Her trust in God is fundamental. . . . She knows that He'll help make it happen . . . [In addition], every single one of the women spoke about their strong faith and what a comfort praying provided them to get through the tough periods in their life. . . . As Granny Nora says, 'My soul has settled,' and what a gift [that is] at this time of their life."

Today, there are more than 240 teams of soccer grannies across Africa, all inspired by Beka's team. Jean concluded, "That's thousands of older women who are healthier, more confident, feeling empowered, with this additional community of support."

This essay is a recent "Light One Candle" column by Tony Rossi, Director of Communications, The Christophers; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.

Background information:

The Christophers