Football stakeholders look to the future

VARIOUS stakeholders in football showed commitment to revamp the sport, with aspects on administration, development and financial management being prominent points which need to be addressed.§

The Namibia Football Association (NFA) invited its partners in soccer to suggest solutions to problems currently dogging the sport, especially concerning the performance of the national teams. The ‘soccer indaba’, which was generally conducted in a good spirit, took place at the Soccer House in Katutura with participants from all corners of the country in attendance.Participants included soccer administrators, coaches, referees, medical staff, supporters, media and business personalities.At the end of the full-day session, those who attended said they were happy that the NFA had taken the bold step to hear from all stakeholders on how the dying sport could be revived.The main speakers of the day included: Martin Shipanga, Managing Director of Commercial Bank, who made a presentation on finances, while Harold Kambrude of ATOZ Consultants addressed football from an administrative perspective.Head of Strategic Marketing Communications at First National Bank, Albertus Auchamub, dealt with the marketing aspect, while Mark Kutzner of Stritter Engling and Partners discussed the football league structures.Former national team coach Peter Ueberjahn spoke on the national teams, while Namibia Cricket Board’s Development Officer, Gareth Cloete, covered the topic on youth development.The meeting was divided in various groups to discuss and suggest strategies for the improvement of the different aspects of the game of football.Some of the notable recommendations were that the NFA registers a Proprietary (Limited) company to conduct its business affairs and by so doing turn the association into a self-sustaining organisation.Participants were also keen on moving Namibian soccer to the level of professionalism by first undertaking a semi-professional approach.The meeting also recommended that marketing and communication strategies be developed to manage information flow and improve communication between the NFA and its stakeholders.The question of putting in place development structures from the youth level also received attention.The NFA was also urged to set-up a reliable data-base which contains information on its activities.At this stage, there is little information on player profiles and the monitoring of their progress through the ranks.NFA President, Petrus Damaseb, said recommendations would form the core of a blueprint to be presented to officials of the International Federation of Football Associations (Fifa) next month.Fifa officials are due in Namibia on April 24 to discuss the blueprint.The NFA said the soccer development blueprint was a pre-condition by Fifa to all national associations before development aid or any assistance can be considered.Additional Reporting by NampaThe ‘soccer indaba’, which was generally conducted in a good spirit, took place at the Soccer House in Katutura with participants from all corners of the country in attendance.Participants included soccer administrators, coaches, referees, medical staff, supporters, media and business personalities.At the end of the full-day session, those who attended said they were happy that the NFA had taken the bold step to hear from all stakeholders on how the dying sport could be revived.The main speakers of the day included: Martin Shipanga, Managing Director of Commercial Bank, who made a presentation on finances, while Harold Kambrude of ATOZ Consultants addressed football from an administrative perspective.Head of Strategic Marketing Communications at First National Bank, Albertus Auchamub, dealt with the marketing aspect, while Mark Kutzner of Stritter Engling and Partners discussed the football league structures.Former national team coach Peter Ueberjahn spoke on the national teams, while Namibia Cricket Board’s Development Officer, Gareth Cloete, covered the topic on youth development.The meeting was divided in various groups to discuss and suggest strategies for the improvement of the different aspects of the game of football.Some of the notable recommendations were that the NFA registers a Proprietary (Limited) company to conduct its business affairs and by so doing turn the association into a self-sustaining organisation.Participants were also keen on moving Namibian soccer to the level of professionalism by first undertaking a semi-professional approach.The meeting also recommended that marketing and communication strategies be developed to manage information flow and improve communication between the NFA and its stakeholders.The question of putting in place development structures from the youth level also received attention.The NFA was also urged to set-up a reliable data-base which contains information on its activities.At this stage, there is little information on player profiles and the monitoring of their progress through the ranks.NFA President, Petrus Damaseb, said recommendations would form the core of a blueprint to be presented to officials of the International Federation of Football Associations (Fifa) next month.Fifa officials are due in Namibia on April 24 to discuss the blueprint.The NFA said the soccer development blueprint was a pre-condition by Fifa to all national associations before development aid or any assistance can be considered.Additional Reporting by Nampa