WINDHOEK - Former Brave Warriors inspirational skipper Sandro de Gouveia has teamed up with retired Chelsea and Orlando Pirates lethal goal poacher Steven “Madigage” Damaseb in a bid to develop the beautiful game of football amongst aspiring footballers.
The pair is spearheading the newly introduced exciting “Sport 4 Life” youth development programme – catering for boys and girls in the under-9, 13 and 15 age groups.
“The ultimate aim of the programme is to have a sustainable training prgramme in place where youngsters are regularly exposed to the latest techniques in modern football at an early age and infant stages of their development,” explained former Brave Warriors football playing centre back Rodney Wallace Doeseb.
The latter is a schoolteacher by profession and qualified football coach and played competitive football in the country’s flagship league for exciting Tsumeb outfit Chief Santos and was also capped by the Brave Warriors on numerous occasions during a glittering football career. Doeseb is the incumbent principal at the revered Eben Haeser Primary School in the mining town of Karibib in Erongo Region and also serves as head coach of Karibib United Football Club.
Omaruru hosted the opening training sessions last Wednesday before proceeding to Karibib the following day.
Amongst other high profile retired football personalities involved in the programe was FIFA-accredited referees training officer and former Blue Waters FC fast-as-lightning forward Edwarth ‘Boy-Boy” Ndjadila.
“The attendance at both training camps was overwhelming and phenomenal – absolutely unbelievable considering the large number of school children and parents who came out en masse to witness this historic gathering,” thundered Doeseb.
De Gouveia is the chief trustee of the new venture and is aided by Mick Sheehan (head coach) Steven Damaseb and Marius Persens (senior coaches) Jork de Bruijne (coach for boys) Mathilda Bornhoff (senior coach for girls) Romy Gros (coach for girls) Fyn Gideon Niebel (coach for boys) and Ndjadila (senior referee).