28 Feb 2024

Botswana Football Association on Tuesday launched the FIFA Football for School programme in Good Hope where at least 31 attendees including some teachers and volunteers attended.

Speaking during the launch, grassroots development officer and programme coordinator, Terry Kgabeng said they saw it fit to bring back the programme as the education sector and FIFA believed they could work well together.

He said the focus would be on 6-12 year-olds with seven million children world wide targeted.

Kgabeng applauded Good Hope District education sector for allowing teachers to take part in the launch, saying ever since they started the programme in other regions, Good Hope had a high number of attendees.

He said the pilot project would cover schools such Metlojane, Cwaanyaneng, Mokgomane and Good Hope primary schools.

“The high number of teachers attending shows that the education sectors too believes in the concept that football and education can work well together for better results,” he said.

He said the programme’s aim was to develop a well-rounded individual adding that the intention was have 30 pupils for each gender from schools.

Earlier welcoming guests, Kgosi Galaxy Marumoloa said he believed the initiative would mprove the standard of football in the district in the long run.

He social ills in the ditrict were exarcebated by the fact that youth spent most of their time raoming the streets with nothing to keep them busy. 

“I am of the view that even criminal activities will go down because the programme will surely instill discipline amongst the youth,” he said.

He said sport in other countries was a money spinner and hoped that the programme would in future produce stars who would represent the country in the world stage.

After a five-day intensive course, the participants will be awarded with FIFA D license, which deals specifically with grassroots development, settling them for a chance to further their studies for bigger things such as CAF C-licence.

The course work does not only cover football but also equips participants with the knowledge of being able to tell the children about the dangers of alcohol abuse and drugs. ENDS