31 Mar 2014

The premier skills training course aimed at promoting a sustainable legacy in Botswana by empowering people through football ended at Botswana National Youth Council after five days of intensive training. 

The course, which was jointly organised by the British Council, premier league and Botswana Football Association (BFA) trained seven coach educators.  

The British Council director, Nobantu Kalake said helping the community through football was what premier skills stood for. She further said Botswana was fortunate to be one of the first countries on the grant scheme. 

The BFA national executive committee member in the Botswana Football Association, Tariq Babitseng said he was humbled by the partnership and promised the premier league and the British Council that they would continue to support the initiative.

For his part, an FA Level 2 qualified coach, Adam Lea said that it had been a long and fantastic journey and more was still to be done. “Football is a global tool and a global language, it should be used to our benefit,” he said. 

He noted that he was going back to England with great anticipation that football in Botswana would indeed develop the nation at large. 

Premier Skills Coach Educator from Maun, Solomon Ramachotlwane said, “Premier Skills brings me much closer to the community in which I live in and has made the community realise that football is not about kicking the ball but also moulding young people to be the responsible leaders of tomorrow. 

I am looking forward to using what I have learned this week to meet the needs of learners during my own Premier Skills training sessions.” 

During the five-day course, the seven Premier Skills coach educators had the opportunity to test their skills by working with forty grassroots trainees from all over Botswana to give them the expertise and support they needed to develop their own community football projects.

The training was led by Adam Lea, Education Liaison Officer at Portsmouth F.C and Laura Milburn, a sports manager at Wolverhampton Wanderers Community Trust. Ends