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Janine van Wyk
Janine van Wyk (Afrikaans: [jɑˈnin fan ˈvəik]; born 17 April 1987) is a former South African professional soccer defender, coach, and owner of JVW F.C., a club she founded and bears her name. Van Wyk was the captain of the South African women's national team, has the most international caps among African women's national teams with 185 and was the first South African ever to play in the U.S. National Women's Soccer League.
Van Wyk was born in Alberton to Dannie and Gwen van Wyk. She grew up in Germiston and started playing soccer at the age of 6, attending Hoërskool Alberton, an Afrikaans medium school that did not play soccer, along the way. Her first team was the Springs Home Sweepers in KwaThema. She came out at aged 15. In 2025 she and partner Julia Molin announced their pregnancy. The couple welcomed their son named Reece Mikael van Wyk on 22 June.
A few years later, Van Wyk joined the Moroka Swallows and later, the Palace Super Falcons from Thembisa, where she was part of a team that won three consecutive league titles. Van Wyk called her time with the Super Falcons "memorable", and said that in the three league victories they were "untouchable". She then founded her own club, named JVW F.C. She previously served as player-coach for the club. Fans of football have nicknamed her "Booth".
On 21 December 2016, she signed with the Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League. In 2017 she made 17 appearances for the Dash. Van Wyk returned to Houston for the 2018 NWSL season, she appeared in 20 games. On 1 October 2018 van Wyk was waived by the Houston Dash and placed on re-entry waivers but her rights were not claimed by another team.
In August 2019, she signed for Danish club Fortuna Hjorring. After a knee injury during a training session and returning to South Africa, on 14 January 2020, van Wyk announced that she and Fortuna Hjorring had agreed to terminate her contract so she could focus on rehabilitation.
Van Wyk returned to Europe in July 2020 when she signed for Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) club Glasgow City. After making one appearance in a UEFA Women's Champions League match against VfL Wolfsburg, her SWPL debut was delayed for several months due to a combination of a knee injury and the suspension of the league during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Van Wyk made her national team debut in 2005 against Nigeria in the African Women's Championship. Van Wyk scored a stunning free kick when Banyana recorded their first ever win over Nigeria since the women's national team was formed in 1993. Van Wyk scored the only goal of that match, with Banyana knocking Nigeria out of the 2012 African Women's Championship. She was a member of the South African team who played at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. She said she was proud to represent her country at an Olympic Games, despite the team being knocked out in the first round.
Van Wyk played her 100th cap for South Africa against Namibia, winning 2–0 in August 2014. At the time, she was the second most capped South African women's player as her teammate Portia Modise won her 110th cap in the same match.
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Janine van Wyk
Janine van Wyk (Afrikaans: [jɑˈnin fan ˈvəik]; born 17 April 1987) is a former South African professional soccer defender, coach, and owner of JVW F.C., a club she founded and bears her name. Van Wyk was the captain of the South African women's national team, has the most international caps among African women's national teams with 185 and was the first South African ever to play in the U.S. National Women's Soccer League.
Van Wyk was born in Alberton to Dannie and Gwen van Wyk. She grew up in Germiston and started playing soccer at the age of 6, attending Hoërskool Alberton, an Afrikaans medium school that did not play soccer, along the way. Her first team was the Springs Home Sweepers in KwaThema. She came out at aged 15. In 2025 she and partner Julia Molin announced their pregnancy. The couple welcomed their son named Reece Mikael van Wyk on 22 June.
A few years later, Van Wyk joined the Moroka Swallows and later, the Palace Super Falcons from Thembisa, where she was part of a team that won three consecutive league titles. Van Wyk called her time with the Super Falcons "memorable", and said that in the three league victories they were "untouchable". She then founded her own club, named JVW F.C. She previously served as player-coach for the club. Fans of football have nicknamed her "Booth".
On 21 December 2016, she signed with the Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League. In 2017 she made 17 appearances for the Dash. Van Wyk returned to Houston for the 2018 NWSL season, she appeared in 20 games. On 1 October 2018 van Wyk was waived by the Houston Dash and placed on re-entry waivers but her rights were not claimed by another team.
In August 2019, she signed for Danish club Fortuna Hjorring. After a knee injury during a training session and returning to South Africa, on 14 January 2020, van Wyk announced that she and Fortuna Hjorring had agreed to terminate her contract so she could focus on rehabilitation.
Van Wyk returned to Europe in July 2020 when she signed for Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) club Glasgow City. After making one appearance in a UEFA Women's Champions League match against VfL Wolfsburg, her SWPL debut was delayed for several months due to a combination of a knee injury and the suspension of the league during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Van Wyk made her national team debut in 2005 against Nigeria in the African Women's Championship. Van Wyk scored a stunning free kick when Banyana recorded their first ever win over Nigeria since the women's national team was formed in 1993. Van Wyk scored the only goal of that match, with Banyana knocking Nigeria out of the 2012 African Women's Championship. She was a member of the South African team who played at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. She said she was proud to represent her country at an Olympic Games, despite the team being knocked out in the first round.
Van Wyk played her 100th cap for South Africa against Namibia, winning 2–0 in August 2014. At the time, she was the second most capped South African women's player as her teammate Portia Modise won her 110th cap in the same match.