Coaching course huge success: Neto

BRAZIL football consultant Manuel Espizm Neto described the week-long beginners’ coaching course as a huge success.

Speaking at the handover of certificates to 32 aspiring coaches at the Namibia Football Association’s Soccer House, Neto said the 32 coaches have assumed great responsibilities and that they must plough back what they have learned. The Brazilian expert noted that Namibia’s biggest problem is the non-existence of formation schools, another name for football schools of excellence.More competitions are also needed to have the much-needed progress in football, said Neto.Neto, who watched some domestic premiership teams tackling each other on Saturday at the Independence Stadium, said the country has talent and all that is needed is training.He thus urged the beginners’ coaches to take up their call as a life-long challenge.Also at the occasion, the Namibia Premier League’s (NPL) Board of Governors’ chairman Anton van Wyk described the coaching course as positive and a groundbreaking event.He said the course has empowered the hopeful coaches as agents of change in the country’s football set-up.Van Wyk said the road ahead would not be an easy one, as the coaches may be confronted with thoughts of despair and panic at various stages.He singled out Namibia’s qualification for the African Nations Cup in Ghana in 2008, and the International Federation of Football Association (Fifa’s) 2010 World Cup in South Africa as the biggest challenges.Van Wyk urged the coaches to transmit the knowledge they have gained to their respective clubs.Female participant Alma Mupupa from the Omusati Region said she has learned a lot about tactics and techniques.”We have trained our boys without any knowledge but now that we are empowered, I will certainly go back and apply what I have learned,” enthused Mupupa.Another participant from the Hardap Region, Frieda Kaifanua, said she also learned a lot about tactics, techniques, attacking and defence.She is the coach of Fire Chiefs at Mariental.Neto will now assess the training sessions of the Under-20 team currently preparing for the Confederation of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Under-20 tournament in South Africa next month.- NampaThe Brazilian expert noted that Namibia’s biggest problem is the non-existence of formation schools, another name for football schools of excellence.More competitions are also needed to have the much-needed progress in football, said Neto.Neto, who watched some domestic premiership teams tackling each other on Saturday at the Independence Stadium, said the country has talent and all that is needed is training.He thus urged the beginners’ coaches to take up their call as a life-long challenge.Also at the occasion, the Namibia Premier League’s (NPL) Board of Governors’ chairman Anton van Wyk described the coaching course as positive and a groundbreaking event.He said the course has empowered the hopeful coaches as agents of change in the country’s football set-up.Van Wyk said the road ahead would not be an easy one, as the coaches may be confronted with thoughts of despair and panic at various stages.He singled out Namibia’s qualification for the African Nations Cup in Ghana in 2008, and the International Federation of Football Association (Fifa’s) 2010 World Cup in South Africa as the biggest challenges.Van Wyk urged the coaches to transmit the knowledge they have gained to their respective clubs.Female participant Alma Mupupa from the Omusati Region said she has learned a lot about tactics and techniques.”We have trained our boys without any knowledge but now that we are empowered, I will certainly go back and apply what I have learned,” enthused Mupupa.Another participant from the Hardap Region, Frieda Kaifanua, said she also learned a lot about tactics, techniques, attacking and defence.She is the coach of Fire Chiefs at Mariental.Neto will now assess the training sessions of the Under-20 team currently preparing for the Confederation of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Under-20 tournament in South Africa next month.- Nampa