FIFA coaching course ends

MOGOMOTSI MOLOI
Correspondent | Tuesday August 7, 2007 00:00

 

Course facilitator and BFA technical instructor Philemon Makwengwe said he has been impressed with the attendance since the course started. The course was attended mainly by teachers. Makwengwe was thrilled by the response and enthusiasm of the participants. He explained that they targeted teachers because they (teachers) coach young players for the future. He pointed out that FIFA has a very effective programme of developing coaches worldwide such as FUTURO Three. He explained that FUTURO is a French name for future. 

The purpose of the course was to increase awareness in technical skills, principles of coaching and rules of play and goalkeeping. The participants were taught practice and game preparation.    

'We want to develop coaches so that they could develop players at a young age. This would even improve the standard of Premier League in Botswana. There would be progress in the sport,' Makwengwe said.

'If such courses could be held regularly, our standard of coaching would improve,' he added. He asserted that players grasp basics of the game better while still young.
He said BFA has struggled to host such courses because of shortage of finances but thanks to FIFA, they have made vast progress. He added that if it was not for FIFA, the course could not have been a success. 'Our grassroots coaches have been doing guess work when coaching. They just trained players without knowing exactly what to do,' he said.

Like any permanent structure, he said, football has to have a good foundation to survive. He said that Botswana has good coaches but they do not plan. Therefore the course has instilled some awareness in participants. Makwengwe said he was expecting another refresher course for intermediate coaches soon. He regretted that it was taking long for coaches to have refresher courses but (he hastened to add that it was) due to financial constraints.

Selepa Community Junior Secondary School football team coach Johane Polelo thanked FIFA for granting development coaches the opportunity to take part in the course. He said they have learnt many things that they did not understand before. This was Polelo's first course in his 12 years of coaching. He urged
BFA to host such courses regularly.