Personality of the Week | Fiola Vliete

Home National Personality of the Week | Fiola Vliete
Personality of the Week | Fiola Vliete

1. Can you tell us a bit about your upbringing and how you first got into football?

I grew up in a small town called Rehoboth in the streets of Block E and started my school journey at Oanob Primary School; continue my high school at Rehoboth High School. I started playing street soccer at a very young age and after a few years, my friend approached me to join a female football club known at the time as Rehoboth “Amakrombies” FC.

 

2. What inspired you to pursue a career in football and how did you develop your skills?

I improved my football skills by watching more football videos and trying these techniques out at training. I worked on improving my footwork and how to manage under pressure techniques. Keeping up with my speed also plays a major role and working with a versatile player-coach Rita “Stella” Williams is a plus, she is full of football knowledge.

 

3. Who were some of your role models growing up and how did they influence your playing style?

I joined the football industry as a goalkeeper. I was highly overlooked because of my height. During that time, Neymar was my greatest role model. In 2021, I decided to pursue the position of striker on a serious note. During that time, Neymar had a big influence on my way of striking and playing. To this day, I consider him as my biggest role model.

 

4. How has your experience been playing in the Women’s Super League this season?

This season I started playing at Beauties FC, a lovely club to be involved with and women super league has been phenomenal and being able to play with new teammates has been challenging but we got the best of it.

 

5. You’ve been scoring a lot of goals this season, how does it feel to be breaking records and making such a big impact?

Entering this season, my personal goal has been to compete for top goal scorer being a striker in my team, and being able to achieve better opportunities for the future for myself, my team, league and being in the national team with the same desire and goals.

 

6. What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a female footballer in Namibia?

The biggest challenge I face/been facing is not getting paid by NFA for my work done internationally.

 

7. Can you speak to the state of women’s football in Namibia and how it has evolved over the years?

It has evolved over the years, the reason being there is a good crowd at our games on weekends cheering for Beauties, which has not been there for the past years.

 

8. Do you think there’s enough support for women’s football in Namibia and what can be done to improve it?

No! We lack acknowledgement for the efforts and time that we put into our football career. The support is not always equal to the efforts but clubs are doing their best with very little personal resources.

 

9. How do you balance your football career with other aspects of your life, such as work or school?

 

Having love for both football and rugby and having to balance has been challenging, but somehow I have been able to make it work through great leadership and understanding as well as coordinated efforts from my football and rugby clubs. Many thanks to my teammates who accord me the understanding and trust and to my coaches for the trust to play me regardless.

 

10. Can you describe your training routine and how you stay in top form throughout the season?

I train almost every day when I am free, so I prefer being there honing my skills.

 

11. What are your long-term goals for your football career?

To play abroad and raise Namibia’s flag high.

 

12. Finally, what advice would you give to young girls who aspire to become professional footballers in Namibia?

I advise every girl today who wants to be a budding footballer and make a success in the game to be disciplined and work very hard. Do not give up on your dreams.