The squad of 29 players is sweating it out at the Nike Football Training Centre in Pimville, Soweto, and captain Janine van Wyk is happy with the progress.
“The camp is going very well; the morale is high and everyone is doing well at training,” she says.
“We are all fighting for a spot to be among the final 22 that will go to Rio, which makes each and every training session very competitive.
“The good thing is that it is healthy competition, but we all know it will be sad to see teammates who don’t make it to the tournament – whoever they may be – but that is something we will deal with when it happens. For now, the focus is on training and getting ready for Brazil.”
Van Wyk adds: “The date [August] seems far off, but actually it is just around the corner and each day we see it drawing nearer and nearer. That is why we are working as hard as we can to gain that fitness, to gain that confidence.
“Starting early is more important than you can imagine as it will help us become a unit, which is crucial in a tournament situation. We want to go the Games and show people what women’s football in South Africa is all about.
“We want to go there and make a mark for our country so people can look back and say the South African’s women’s football national team is growing in leaps and bounds.
“We might not have a professional league or many players plying their trade abroad, but we still want to compete well.