19 Nov 2019

Botswana like other football federation members has heeded world football governing body, FIFA to develop and resource women football. According to FIFA website, the organisation strongly believes that women’s football brings an important benefit of empowerment to young girls and women involved in football.

FIFA’s women football strategy seeks to encourage empowerment through football, grow the game, get more girls involved in it earlier and keep women in football longer

It is against this background that

Botswana Football Association (BFA) organised a football coaching course to capacitate women coaches.

Speaking at the opening of the course, German Embassy Counselor, Katja Nolte said it was logical for Botswana to seek assistance from Germany, which was a footballing nation and four times world champions.

She said Germany’s women’s national football were also two times world champions.

She said Germany was successful a footballing nation because it invest more in football development.

She said grassroots development was made of volunteers who spend more time coaching and playing.

“And I think that is what can make Botswana successful and you are here to develop and there cannot be football without coaches.

I am happy to be here to see the fruits of the successful work of Dr Carolyn Braun,” she said.

BFA president, MacLean Letshwiti said Dr Braun was in Botswana for coaching education and talent identification as well as to identify how best Botswana could structure the league.

“The whole purpose for her is to train as many coaches as possible because one of the reasons we have not progressed in football development, is because we lack coaches and just like a school you cannot have children without teachers,” he said.

Through the initiative, Letshwiti said BFA was sowing a seed that would in return blossom and benefit the country.

He noted that after completing the course, coaches would impart and apply the knowledge at their respective teams.

Course facilitator, Dr Braun said there was an urgent need to empower women in coaching.

She said BFA need more coaches and educators adding that course content, which included basic elements of football, like dribbling, passing and planning during training and the game would go a long way to develop football in Botswana. Ends