Van Wyk was born in Alberton, Gauteng to Dannie van Wyk. She grew up in Germiston and she started playing soccer at the age of 6. She attended Hoërskool Alberton, an Afrikaans medium school that did not play soccer. Her first girls team was Springs Home Sweepers based in KwaThema. She came out as a lesbian aged 15.
Career
Club career
A few years later, Van Wyk joined the Moroka Swallows and later, the Palace Super Falcons from Tembisa, where she was part of a team that won three consecutive league titles. Van Wyk called her time with the Super Falcons "memorable", and said that in the three league victories they were "untouchable". She then founded her own club, named JVW F.C. She previously served as player-coach for the club. Fans of football have nicknamed her "Booth". On 21 December 2016, she signed with the Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League. In 2017 she made 17 appearances for the Dash. Van Wyk returned to Houston for the 2018 NWSL season, she appeared in 20 games. On 1 October 2018 van Wyk was waived by the Houston Dash and placed on re-entry waivers but her rights were not claimed by another team. In August 2019, she signed for Danish club Fortuna Hjorring. On 14 January 2020, van Wyk announced that she and Fortuna Hjorring had agreed to terminate her contract so she could return to South Africa and focus on rehabilitation. Van Wyk returned to Europe in July 2020 when she signed for Scottish Women's Premier League side Glasgow City.
International career
Van Wyk made her national team debut in 2005 against Nigeria in the African Women's Championship. Van Wyk scored a stunning free kick when Banyana recorded their first ever win over Nigeria since the women’s national team was formed in 1993. Van Wyk scored the only goal of that match, with Banyana knocking Nigeria out of the 2012 African Women's Championship. She was a member of the South African team who played at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. She said she was proud to represent her country at an Olympic Games, despite the team being knocked out in the first round. Van Wyk played her 100th cap for South Africa against Namibia, winning 2–0 in August 2014. At the time, she was not the most capped South African women's player as her teammate Portia Modise won her 110th cap in the same match. On 28 March 2016, she became South Africa's most capped player when she made her 125th appearance against Cameroon. On 18 September 2018, she earned her 150th cap for South Africa. Van Wyk became the first Captain to lead her team to a Women's World Cup Appearance, as well as the first Captain in South Africa's history to lead a South African Team at the 2019 Women's World Cup.
JVW F.C.
Van Wyk founded a football club JVW F.C. in 2013 "with the intention to focus on the development of the female football player whilst providing a platform for them to reach higher levels in the sport." The JVW First team won the Gauteng Sasol League in 2016, where Van Wyk served as a Player-Coach, and reached the Sasol League National Championship final where they ultimately lost 1–0 to Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies.
