UEFA guides BFA to resume play
The Botswana Football Association (BFA) has received assistance from the European Football Association (UEFA) to return to play through the UEFA Assist programme. Through the detailed programme the two parties are expected to go through all the necessary planning in order to return to the pitch.
In an interview this week BFA President, Maclean Letshwiti said they are getting from UEFA planning and strategic assistance that will lead them to resuming the football activities as soon as they can.
“We are in consultation with UEFA, planning ahead so that when the government gives us the go ahead to play, we will be ready to take up the challenge and give our people the football they longed for.”
Letshwiti says UEFA will only be a facilitator and won’t be assisting the association financially. “UEFA is a Facilitator, we are only tapping into the knowledge they have and since most European countries have resumed play we thought it was very important that they also assist us to be ready to resume play.”
The President said his association is observing how European associations have managed to resume play as they will soon want to achieve that through the aid from UEFA. Quizzed if there is any possibility of football returning soon, he said that would be upon the government to decide and if they are given a go ahead they will resume.
It is said that the FA will subsequently submit their plan to resume play to government which will run through the Covid- 19 task force before being approved. However, the League play offs and the Orange FA Cup are going to be used as a litmus test to resume play.
The UEFA Assist programme aims to increase solidarity and enhance football development to tackle the needs of national associations and confederations outside Europe, UEFA has demonstrated its commitment to reinforcing relationships with other confederations by providing ad hoc support and signing memorandums of understanding with other confederations.
The BFA is said to be one of the few associations to benefit from UEFA as the latter seeks to assist federations and associations to resume play. Ongoing support of other associations and confederations is on knowledge sharing and football development.
The BFA suspended all of the country’s football activities amid the coronavirus outbreak in March. Following the initial lockdown early in April the executive committee decided to postpone the season indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic situation. The season was later declared null and void with only the Orange FA Cup to be played.
Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) continues to spread its efforts to unearth talent across the country. The Association held an advanced level Training Camps in Francistown with top ranked Players in Francistown from 28-30August 2020.
The camp saw an exceptional collaboration emerge between Botswana Tennis Association and Botswana National Olympics Committee (BNOC) under the Development of National Sports system and was targeting developing players.
BTA President Oaitse Thipe said the mandate is to identify top Players for the National teams under 12-16 and to also train advanced level coaches among many other things.The camp will move to Orapa next week before it transcend across cities and towns.
The players who will be identified by coaches during these training camps will compete in the Under 12 tournament and Botswana Open; the former will be hosted by Donga Tennis Club in Francistown from 19 to 20 September.
Thipe however, stresses on the issue of nurturing talent that often eludes many associations locally. “We intend to nurture the talent we come across by making sure that our coaches Education is consistent; coaches licensing and hosting top International tennis Tournaments so that the youngsters have very strong coaches who can help them grow.”
Of recent, the association conducted a grass roots development coaching course in their efforts to increase the number of qualified coaches.The course attracted many young hopefuls and school teachers and the association will continue to host courses across the country.