Staff Reporter
Windhoek-The Galz and Goals Basic Coaching Course that started on Friday at the Namibia Football Association (NFA) Girls centre with 30 participants registered for the three-day long course, ended on Sunday.
With the former Brave Gladiators coach and now General Manager of Women Football at the NFA, Jacqueline Shipanga, as the instructor, the course covered basics such as coaching methodologies, and coordinated, dynamic, technical and static skills.
Speaking at the Opening ceremony, NFA Secretary General Barry Rukoro welcomed and congratulated the participants for what he called “opening the door” to football.
“Brave Gladiators of tomorrow should be better than the Brave Gladiators of today, and that can only be done if we educate and equip you with enough knowledge to groom our future football legends.”
He said football is about making life-changing decisions, and participants are now a step closer, nonetheless, their determination and quality of work will determine how far they go. He further thanked the Chief Administrator of the Sports Commission, Fred Mwiya, for his endless contribution and support towards various sports codes in Namibia.
Also speaking at the opening ceremony, Mwiya was delighted by the number of participants who registered for the course, while expressing the joy it brings to see the interests in women football, in the quest to develop and improve the game in Namibia.
He added that, “We need to look at two pillars in life – getting certified and acquiring knowledge and skills – and that when we come to the realisation that the latter is more important, we’ll understand that obtaining a qualification isn’t the biggest thing, but rather what we do with the knowledge we acquired.
“I see a great initiative in having the girl child benefit from various sports projects. With these basic skills, don’t stop here, plough back into the community and uplift football.”
NFA’s Technical Director, Timothy Tjongarero, emphasised that humility is the backbone of a successful career, adding that many people want to be at the top too early and end up burning out.
“Make your mistakes, learn from them, work on them to improve and move on,” Tjongarero said.
Participants will write a practical test on Sunday, prior to receiving their coaching certificates.