03 Jun 2018

Botswana Football Association (BFA) has started FIFA accredited youth development programme.

Speaking at the Botswana Premier League (BPL) annual general assembly in Gaborone on June 2, BFA president MacLean Letshwiti said the youth development had international partners and it was now the “guinea pig” of development model in Africa.

He said recently, FIFA representatives visited the country to film Botswana’s youth development programme and the film would be beamed at FIFA congress that would be held in Moscow starting from June 13.

“Now the question is, what role are you playing as the premier league, what is your stake in the youth development programme, that is the core,” he said

Letshwiti said the local football governing body would have a new world class technical director and a delegation from Germany to assist BFA in the implementation of the programme.

Lesthwiti said the partners for the youth league were, LaLiga, British Premier Skills, Slovakia and German  governments.

One of the critical success factors, he said was BPL participation to help in talent identification, retention and development.

“If you are absent in the programme, it would not be successful. So, are you up to the challenge, how do you fit in the overall structure of development, after all if we talk commercalisation this is the core of it.”

Further, he told the premier league general assembly that they were also in negotiations with some centres to hold the four nation’s youth tournament.

The programme, Letshwiti said was massive, therefore, the premier league as a mirror of the association should make sure that they contributed, given that the association’s mandate was not to run the leagues.

He said the youth league would be funded by more than P200 million at the end of the programme. ENDS