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Growing up in a family passionate about football, Maun born Botswana Football Association (BFA) Head of Women’s Football, Tsholofelo Sethoko never thought that one day she would be one of the inspiring football administrators of all times.
The unconditional love and support she got from her parents who were co-founders of Maun Tigers FC played a crucial role in the development of her football career.
In an interview, Sethoko narrated that her journey in the development of local football started in 2009 when she enrolled at the University of Botswana to study Bachelor Degree in Physical Education.
Driven by passion, this is where she had a chance to volunteer in different women and men football teams as a sports scientist, physical trainer and also enrolled in different football coaching courses.
According to Sethoko, some of the courses she attended while still pursuing her studies at the university included FA Learning and FA introduction to coaching Girls and Women’s Football in May 2007, BFA Preliminary Coaching Course in June 2007 and FIFA Basic Level for Coaches and Assistant Coaches under auspices of the FIFA in collaboration with BFA in May 2008. She also enrolled for the FIFA Course or Club administrators (Win in Africa with Africa Programme) in June 2011.
She stated that while doing her voluntary work, she met with one of the local female sports pioneers, Tapiwa Marobela who also realised her passion and hard work in sports. Sethoko revealed that meeting Marobela was a blessing as she helped her secure a scholarship to study Diploma in Physical Education (International Coaching course) for six months in 2013 at the Semmelweis University-Olympic solidarity in Hungary through the BNOC.
Coming back to Botswana after completing her studies abroad, she met the late Major David Bright who mentored her like a father. Bright who by then was a Gaborone United coach recruited her to the club to work as a sports scientist and Sethoko was the first woman in the premier league to break into that male dominated profession.
Sethoko however later parted ways with the club and stayed unemployed for years, a journey that was rocky and difficult to navigate, but through her love and passion for the sport she was able to get on with the volunteerism spirit.
Sethoko would later join Virgin Active Botswana as a Group exercise manager and was thereafter offered another position as a Fitness Manager.
“The Virgin Active Botswana group was so amazed about my level of experience and the passion I had and that motivated me a lot,” she noted.
In 2019, Sethoko joined the BFA as the manager, of women football and was introduced to the association’s new administration strategy which she had to ensure it is implemented. She also worked together with Botswana Volleyball Association Chairman Tsoseletso Magang to do a DTCB proposal for women’s football sponsorship.
Sethoko has also played a role in introducing different football grass root centres across different parts of the country that are playing a very important role in developing young talent. According to her, there has been an improvement in the development of women’s football nationally highlighting that there is significant participation of women’s teams in football.
“The women’s football teams across all the eight regions had an opportunity to participate in the DTCB tournament for the first time, women are also partaking in referees coaching courses while the senior women’s national football team qualified for the Women Africa Cup of Nations (AWCON) held in Morocco last year for the first time,” she further highlighted.
