Academy Thrives To Change Squash Fortunes
Alpha Squash Academy has laid out plans to change the landscape of the local game.
Academy founder, Koketso Ntshebe has opened three branches around Gaborone in a bid to push the game to a new level.
Ntshebe told Sport Monitor, the idea of an academy was born in 2015, but did not materialise until 2019 while
he was coaching in the United States of America (USA).
“That is when the pathway became clear on what I wanted to do and how,” he said.
Ntshebe noted that certain deficiencies in the sport pushed him to set up the academy.
He said the country had the chance to win a medal at the Africa Junior Championships held in Gaborone in 2019, but walked away empty-handed.
“But I could see that it was possible. Again, we do not have any women squash professional players in Botswana, but our chances are better with women than men to get to the top of the world rankings,” he argued.
Ntshebe said competition was stiff with men as a lot of
countries invest in their men than women. He said there are more men squash players than women, but it does not mean the quality is any different.
“Physiologically, we are so much better than other nations and naturally gifted. Around 75% comes already installed; it is the 25% we have to work on while other nations it is the other the way around. So, we are ahead but we are not aware of that yet. You make athletes in other countries like in the UK and USA, here they are already athletes before they even learn the sport,” he said.
Ntshebe also said the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic helped the academy’s programme as it gave them time to correct and see how they could prepare for the rains and good harvest season. “COVID took the fear away in everything and left us naked with passion and purpose. Our enrolment is done online or manually at our centres.
We admit children from the four years and in some cases, we have pre-school kids as well,” Ntshebe said. Alpha Academy has four coaches working with children and adults at the two centres with one located at National Squash Centre and another one in Phakalane. The University of Botswana centre is not yet open due to COVID-19.
“Our programme is deliberately aimed at primary school children for obvious reasons such as the Long Term Athlete Development Plan (LTADP). Due to COVID, we have been limited to offer more children and schools squash, but we think it is good for us so that we could sort out our teething problems and not get overwhelmed too soon,” Ntshebe said.He said academies of any sport in Botswana are the way forward and they could exist and support the national agenda outside clubs, which have generally turned maladministration into a habit. He pointed out that with the right support they would keep the squash numbers growing and the courts well-populated.
“We have some amazing support from Super 5s football centre, Conbuild, Energise Physiotherapists, BickyFit Revolution and Engen Pula. We have been fortunate for these partners to stick with us during these difficult times,”Ntshebe said.