The NWSL is a professionally run League that was recently revived following its demise in 2011. It compromises of eight teams under the administration of the US Soccer Federation to create a sustainable league for the country’s national team.
The eight founding clubs are Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Kansas City, Portland Thorns FC, Seattle Reign FC, Sky Blue FC, Washington Spirit and the Western New York Flash.
Roxanne will begin the new season with Portland Thorns, where she has also enrolled at the Portland Community College with the ultimate objective of attaining a BSC Degree in Biology this July.
Roxanne says it’s an honour to have been selected amongst a group of 3 796 potential players and she is going to give her best in her first season at Portland Thorns.
“The call-up to play for the Portland Thorns in the professional Women’s League came as a surprise to me, but I am incredibly excited about beginning a new season there and will be looking forward to learning a lot as I will be playing among some amazing players. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime,” she says.
“It will be a great honour to get a national call-up because South Africa is my home and I love playing for my country. Banyana have accomplished so much for South Africa and I want to be part of the team.”
Barker was previously based at the Pepperdine University in California and has been the first choice goalkeeper for the Waves of Pepperdine University.
Banyana coach Joseph Mkhonza is proud of Barker’s achievements in the United States and hopes that the experience she gains there will come in handy for the national team.
“I would like to congratulate Roxanne for her achievements so far. Playing in a professional women’s league means she will be playing in a competitive league among some of the world’s highly-ranked players,” he says.
“This is a good start for her, more so because she is young and will play a major role in the national set up in the coming years. It would be great to see some of our players play in these competitive leagues and progress to become some of the greatest women footballers in the country as well as the world.”
Barker, who has been capped seven times for Banyana, featured in the opening match at the Olympics in the 4-1 loss to Sweden.