- pleads for another term in office
Outgoing Nhabe Regional Football Association (NRFA) Committee has expressed confidence in its achievements during its just ended term in office, and also lobbied for re-election to complete pending projects and set targets.
The Botswana Football Association (BFA) Regional Associations including women’s football will this year hold elections for their committee. This as a requirement stipulated in Article 13 of the regional association regulations which sets the office of tenure at four years.
BFA Chief Executive Officer Mfolo Mfolo revealed that the regional committee candidates have already applied and the regulation notice of 21 days from the date of application submission has elapsed on the 21st August 2022. He said now they await issuance of a writ of elections by the electoral board adding that the board will soon call for elections of regional committee after the regional assembly.
In an interview with Times Sport, NRFA Secretary Maipelo Malatlhe said though it was not an easy task to achieve their set goals, but they worked hard as a committee to accomplish them. Among them she indicated that they have acquired a 11 hectares plot from Tawana Land board for the development of a football pitch, training facilities, conference rooms, campsite and accommodation facility.
She added that their other greatest achievement was convincing BFA to host the CAF B and C coaching training in their region. Malatlhe indicated that the CAF B License has already been completed in Maun and is awaiting certification by CAF while the CAF C License is expected to resume in Shakawe this month.
“It was not easy to convince the BFA for the CAF B License course to come to Maun because all affiliated member associations in Botswana wanted the same course at their regions but we managed to put up a strong proposal for us to be offered the training,” she noted.
Malatlhe said they are proud to leave office having 20 qualified CAF B License coaches adding that the region will soon have more than 30 coaches with CAF C License, something she is proud for the development of football in the region.
The soft spoken Malatlhe added that his committee also made it possible for the region to have women football teams with their own league dominated by under 23 players. She noted that the development of women football has helped into establishing football streams in the region through taking football to the people campaign.
“We established Streams for Shakawe and Gumare who are now underway and we have a newly established the Sehithwa Stream which is under process and will soon start operating,” she revealed.
She further added that their committee has successfully managed to implement the under 15 boys youth league in Maun, Gumare and Shakawe respectively.
Meanwhile Malatlhe believes that if given chance to continue as the regional committee, they will finish up some pending deals with potential sponsors that they have already been in communication with.
For his part Regional Chairperson Norman Sebele stressed that his committee has achieved adding some are still pending to be concluded hoping that if given another chance they will finish what they have started.
Regarding the region’s plot, Sebele revealed that they have requested funding from FIFA through BFA and they expect response in due time with the hope that it will be successful for them to be able to construct planned facilities. “There are some funds from FIFA that is granted to Association members for football projects and youth development therefore we have managed to submit our own proposal.”
