BFL clubs in development headache

According to the BFA, the document should include names, roles at the club and minimum qualification required of each member of the club’s personnel, Technical, medical and administrative.

The teams will further be required to provide a document presenting the Financial Resources made available to the Youth Sector such as the available Budget, Contribution by License Applicant, Players or Local Community. In addition, for local teams to be deemed compliant, they will have to provide a document presenting the Football Education Program for the different Age Groups such as Playing skills, technical, tactical and physical training. The BFA further demands a document presenting the educational program on the Laws of the Game instructed to the youth players by the Club. Additionally, to ensure safety in the youth structures, the clubs will be required to provide a document that includes information about the medical team of the Youth System and a summary of all check- ups made for the players of the youth sector, during the previous year. By all means, it will be safe to argue that most of these requirements on youth structure will come as a challenge to most local elite clubs that already lack financial resources and capacity. A whirlwind of sponsorship and other sources of funding will be required by most of the teams in order to meet most of the Club licensing requirements before the new football season resumes later this year.

Meanwhile, the Club licensing requirements pertaining to youth structure have not been welcomed by some club officials in the Botswana Football League ( BFL). In an interview this week, one club official, who preferred anonymity for fear of victimisation said: “The last seminar on club licensing spoke against a blind importation of club licensing requirements and advised countries to tailor their requirements based on their level of development.”

The highly placed sources further explained: “Teams and the league itself are struggling to attract sponsors. Majority are defaulting on their player’s wages and with the Covid- 19 pandemic, everything has moved from worse to worst. The requirements on Youth development programs, policies and funding are not realistic. The BFA itself does not have club youth competition. It’s like they are detached from reality of domestic football.”