Shilene Booysen is one of the trailblazing figures shaping the modern landscape of African women’s football and coaching. As Afghan Women United Assistant Coach, she has worked closely with Head Coach Pauline Hamill to carefully select and develop the current group of groundbreaking female Afghan players, who are currently preparing to play their second match at the FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025 in Morocco. A South African coach and performance specialist, as well as mentor in the current edition of the FIFA Coach Mentorship Programme, Booysen has built a reputation for pioneering progress wherever she works. From being a key member of Desiree Ellis’ South African women’s national team backroom staff, developing the South Sudan women’s national team from the ground up, to leading Egypt’s Wadi Degla SC in the Women’s Premier League, and now serving as a FIFA Technical Expert focused on coach education and high-performance development.

On Wednesday, Booysen will once again make history, standing on the touchline for Afghan Women United in their second match at the FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025, temporarily filling in for Ms Hamill, who will be unavailable for personal reasons. “The first match against Chad was a big moment for the girls, especially the players. It’s been over four years’ since they’ve played football internationally and the first time they’ve played together as a group,” said Booysen. “It was an important opportunity to learn (against Chad) and the game against Tunisia will be no different. It will be tough, Tunisia are a good side but we are ready, ready to learn and take another important step forward in the development of this team.”

Whilst the result of their historic opening match of the FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025 ended in defeat, Booysen believes there were plenty of positives to take away from the match itself and a day that went far beyond what happened on the pitch.

“I always say it's just football, but this programme has shown me that it's not just football. I'm standing next to a group of players who have fought for themselves, who have fought for other women, who have fought for the country, who have fought to be on the stage,” she said. “Just to stand next to them will be a dream come true for me and to lead them will be just an amazing experience.” With a background in performance analysis and player development, Booysen combines data-driven insight with a deep human understanding of players’ needs. She has worked across vastly different footballing contexts – from resource-limited programmes to established professional clubs – always championing growth, education, and the professionalism of women’s football in Africa.

“I've worked with many teams before. I've worked in a team that is really, was really structured,” she said. “Also, I have a lot of experience, and that helps when I'm working with players who are developing and in a growth period of their lives. That has been the key point for me within the Afghan [Women United] team, is to use that experience, but also to make sure that off the field they know that they are valued, they are supported. For me it's really about knowing what you can achieve on the field, but also knowing your value off the field. Taking the touchline and coaching the team on Wednesday will also be a moment for Booysen to reflect on her journey so far with Afghan Women United, having played a key role alongside Ms Hamill and the dedicated coaching staff to select the inaugural squad of 23 players following three selection camps that took place in Australia and England. And reflecting on the dedicated staff and coaching team assembled by FIFA that has supported the Afghan Women United, Booysen is full of praise for the work done so far.

“I think FIFA has done an amazing job just to provide a professional setup for these girls. This programme is second to none in the world,” she added. “I think the professionalism that has come in, the expertise from all over the world that has been roped in, with Pauline [Hamill] coming in as the head coach, with me having experience, Sam [McGowan] coming in as an analyst, you have Alex [Reid] and Mark [Arnot] as our fitness trainers, the medical team. It’s just second to none. It's so amazing that these girls have that support.” “This team has been so amazing, but I think our camps have been fuller from day to day than other camps that I really need. I mean, these girls need so much support. We need to give the opportunities to have a look at video, make sure that they know about opposition analysis, look at data for themselves, making sure that they recover quite nicely. And so even though we've given them everything, it's really important that the girls also take some downtime. So that's, I mean, in all of the training and the video and the meetings, and it also means that they need some time to just recover from all of them, take a breather, and then, just for the next game, for the next training, be ready for those kinds of things. "But I think every team needs that. Every team in women's football needs that kind of coaching structure and support. And I love it for the girls, just to see them grow, just to see them blossom under Afghan Women United, through the support that we and FIFA give them. That's ultimately the most important thing, to see these girls grow as people and players, and the opportunities are created for them through the support structure that FIFA offers."

At FIFA, Booysen now applies her experience at a global level, helping shape systems that equip the next generation of coaches and players. Her work embodies a commitment to excellence, representation, and long-term sustainability for the women’s game. And it has not been lost on Booysen that three African teams are playing at FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025 and the importance of regular competitive international matches have on the development of women’s football in the region. “I think we can go back and see how many African teams are not having women's teams that are actually active. One of the things that both Chad and Libya have come to do here is get a FIFA ranking, and so that means that there isn't a lot of opportunities for African teams to play.

“When we look at that Chad team, there's so much talent in that team. So what will that mean for those Chad players? Obviously, it will mean huge opportunities outside of Africa. It will mean that they can take care of the families. It will mean that they can take another step up in their development, in their growth. And I can't even imagine what this will mean when they go back home and they've played in friendly matches on a global stage and in another country.”

Reflecting on the next steps for the women’s game in Africa, Booysen is clear on the role FIFA can continue to play and how its work with member associations, and stakeholders across football in the region, can have a further impact. “That FIFA keeps investing, that FIFA makes sure that the money goes into the right avenues, that the stakeholders make sure that, especially in women's football, that everybody plays their part for the game to grow. I think we've seen it grow over the last couple of years in leaps and bounds. In Africa it’s gone huge. That has been huge for the players who have made strides and just gone overseas to better teams because of the exposure that they are getting. That is the investment that creates those opportunities.”