Wits Sport administrator clinches 2022 Gauteng Women in Sport award
- Tshepiso Mametela
Wits Sport administrative assistant and sports officer Vinolia Austin walked off with the Administrator of the Year award – her second Futballing Girls accolade in as many years – at the 2022 Gauteng Women in Sport Awards held in Braamfontein last month.
Austin joined the ranks at the university as an intern in August 2018, quickly proving her credentials to become an admin assistant at Wits Sport, where she efficiently manages the institution’s high-performance programmes to ensure the smooth running of the various structures.
The awards, founded by Futballing Girls NPO managing director Moonira Ramathula, celebrate and recognise the performance of women in sport at various levels and addresses the issues affecting the growth of female sports.
A proud Austin, the recipient of the regional Johannesburg Administrator of the Year award in November last year, spoke to Wits Sport about her latest success, her contributions at Wits and the hopes she has for females participating in sport.
What does winning this accolade mean to you, and to what do you attribute the success?
Teamwork makes the dream work. All I have achieved is because of the support and assistance of the people around me. As this was the Gauteng Women in Sports Awards, it was my first provincial award. It’s a step up from the district awards.
How has your work in shaping the administrative programme at Wits University contributed to this recognition?
My work has assisted in the implementation and execution of effective structures. Recognition is a natural motivator as it gives one a chance to see how significant your role is in the various structures and systems. My contributions in assisting the different teams reach their goals translated into a successful previous season.
How do you look to make good on your profile as one of the leading sports administrators in Gauteng? What exciting developments are in the pipeline for the year ahead?
Currently, the main focus is to complete my Master’s Degree in Sports Management and to continue building effective structures which will extend the winning culture within Wits Sport.
Have there been any notable changes in the province around recognising female role players in sports?
There are a lot of women in sports whom I feel deserve to be recognised, especially in the university space. Student-athletes have so much that they are dealing with daily but still manage to make national teams and complete their degrees. It’s remarkable to watch, and I do not think this gets the credit it deserves.