Young girls from Shakawe will benefit from the Botswana Football Association (BFA) and Federation of International Football (FIFA) grass root development program that aims to promote women and girls’ participation in football.
Three primary schools in Shakawe village will select a total of 35 young girls below the age of 12, totalling 105, to participate in the program scheduled to run from the 28th November to the 2nd December.
FIFA approved three programs BFA had applied for under the new women sport development programs. The three programs are the league development, capacity building for administration and the women’s football campaign, a grass root development program that is tailor made to promote women’s football.
BFA Head of Women’s Football Tsholofelo Sethoko explained that the aim of the program is to develop women football, creating awareness, giving the girls an opportunity to play, have fun and learn the life skills through football. Sethoko added that another objective of the tournament is to develop new coaches as facilitators through mini tournaments and coaching courses.
The two-day program will run in Nhabe and Tsabong regions respectively. Sethoko indicated that in the Nhabe region they selected Shakawe to implement the program following the realisation of the talent and potential the community has in sports development.
According to Sethoko, from the 28th to the 2nd December they will conduct a Grassroots Coaching Course for women coaches, who will then facilitate the young girls. She indicated that the course will be followed by the under 12 girl’s festival on the 3rd of December.
“FIFA will support the festival by offering all the necessary sporting equipment that includes balls and attire for the event to run smoothly,” Sethoko told Times Sport.
She added that the grassroots development program is a pathway that gives youth league teams an opportunity to groom talented players and supply them to under 20 teams where they can be selected at the senior national team. She indicated that they have already conducted the coaching course in Tsabong, and will be followed by the festival this weekend.
