15 Aug 2024

It is vital for young referees to be given the opportunity to develop by going through training, Botswana Football Association (BFA) referees manager, Jonty Rasetsoga has said.

Speaking during the five-day northern region referees training course held in Francistown on Tuesday, where 37 referees attended, he said BFA promoted a culture of football through training.

With constantly evolving new technologies in the field of sport, he said BFA intended to empower referees to stay knowledgeable and in track with what was happening around them.

He said the training provided participants with skills necessary for one to become an effective referee, and how they could apply their skills to improve performance of players and football sport at large.

Rasetsoga further said referees must be able to identify problems and develop effective solutions and must be able to adapt to different situations and find ways to help players overcome difficulties.

He said the main objective of the training was to also make referees understand the importance of sports coaching and how they could apply their skills to improve the performance of players.

Rasetsoga said amongst the 37 participants were three females, an improvement in representation of women.

This diverse participation of women, he said symbolised commitment of BFA in fostering gender equality in the field of football refereeing.

BFA Technical Instructor, Tirelo Ramatlakapela said BFA mentorship and guidance skills were intended to shape the future generation of referees in Botswana.

He said referees were required to stay active and maintain a high level of fitness and healthy lifestyle.

Ramatlakapela said referees played an important role in maintaining the integrity of football games as they led and shaped the outcomes of a successful match.

He said the experience participants would gain could help to develop their leadership and decision making skills, which could be valuable in other areas of life.

The course was expected to end on Friday, where participants would not just walk away with competences but also with better networking and mentorship skills. Ends