Hilma Nalupe

The Namibia Football Association launched its Talent Development Scheme on Friday at the NFA Soccer House in Windhoek.

The newly introduced initiative aligns with Fifa’s 2023 Talent Development Scheme, which seeks to help smaller nations qualify for the Junior World Cups. The programme aims to nurture young Namibian footballers and enhance their skills.

NFA Talent Development Officer, Woody Jacobs, said football has been almost non-existent in remote areas, and the development scheme intends to change that. “We want to launch youth leagues across the country next year, in 121 constituencies and across all 14 regions,” Jacobs said.

The scheme focuses on players aged 12 to 16, with the main goal of strengthening Namibia’s U/15 and U/17 national teams to ensure participation in the World Cups.

According to Jacobs, the programme will conduct talent identification across all 14 regions to ensure that the national teams include players from every part of the country, not just from areas with better access to football infrastructure.The ultimate objective is to establish a national football academy for the U/13, U/15 and U/17 categories, offering training under a Fifa elite coach.

Jacobs further encouraged individuals who meet the requirements to form youth development teams nationwide. “We are excited to roll out next year, conduct proper scouting and identify talent across the country,” he said.