WINDHOEK- For 30-year old Nelson Shipandeni, it was never about scoring wonder goals or collecting Man of the Match accolades that really mattered to him as a footballer during his heydays, but it was his ability to make the right play when it was most needed and those qualities still reflect in his aproach in everything he does today.
Having witnessed most of his close friends and members of his community vanish in a pool of social ills such as alcohol and drug abuse, a then young Shipandeni, who now works at the Khomas Regional Council as a clerk, founded the Amazon Football Club (FC) back in 2007 with the sole aim of giving the children of Otjomuise and surrounding locations such as 7de and 8st Laan a safe and fun environment to sharpen their skills, while also learning the basics of life through the club.
After founding the club, Shipandeni also played for the club for about two years before taking over as the team’s coach. The club comprises mostly of young boys under the age of 19.
Since its inception, the club has participated in various tournaments including the 2011 New Era Newspaper Cup and many other small tourneys in towns like Groot Aub, and Shipandeni says the team’s hunger for success has seen them reaching the final at some of the tourneys, a feat he says goes a long way in defining the club’s future prospects.
However, he says they face a few challenges such as a lack of a proper training venue, as they currently conduct their daily training sessions on a small piece of land behind the defunct Ramatax buildings. Shipandeni also bemoaned the lack of support from local business people, saying many a time he uses his personal money to cater for the club’s expenses, such as travelling and food for the kids.
He further urged any good Samaritan willing to come on board to support in any way they can, not just in monetary terms.
Shipandeni’s long-term goal is to turn his club into a much bigger team that would in the near future join one of the Namibia Football Association (NFA) youth leagues.