From the Sidelines: Civics achive milestone

CIVICS this year became the first Namibian premier league team to play in three consecutive Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions Leagues.

They did that when they were entertained by Petro de Luanda in Angola two weeks ago and their match against the same side tomorrow in Windhoek will mark the eighth time they play in this competition. There are individual milestones for several players such as captain Amos Shiyuka, William Chilufya, Franklin April and Killian Kavari who will be going for their eighth caps in the coveted event.That also includes their head coach Helmuth Scharnowski, administrative executive Tim Isaacs and team medic Sedney Afrikaner.Civics, since winning their first league title during the 2004/05 season, have maintained a consistent run domestically, landing them the second one during the 2005/06 season.They are clearly destined for a third one at the end of this season and this can all be attributed to the professional way in which the club is run.By this I don’t mean that other clubs are run like “kambashus” but Civics simply stand out among the others that have even been around for many years before Civics stepped onto the stage.The side has set a trend with their professional approach to all aspects of the Namibian game.Their philosophy is straightforward: Cater for the needs of the players and the success will come in leaps and bounds.That means an effective administration which takes care of all the logistics of the team, but most importantly, the players are treated as kings.The club, fortunately for them, has invested large sums of money in the administration of the team, while the players are assured of sufficient compensation for their work on the field.The team has made sure to acquire the best players in the country and these are their biggest assets.It is therefore not strange for them to win the league back-to back and playing three times in the Champions League.They earned that and they need to be respected for that record.The team is currently in the process of investing in infrastructure and their youth development programme is up and running.Scharnowski has loaned about four quality players to Friends to help that team have a balanced and competitive team in the league, a gesture that no other coach is likely to make.As I said, Civics are fortunate to have large sums of money at their disposal, but that is also brought in by the players as they go all out to win every major local championship at stake.Apart from Civics, there are other clubs with good administrators, but a lack of funds to compensate their players makes it difficult for them to prosper.There are good players all round in Namibia, but it is important for the players to feel that they are the most important people in the team, not officials.Some Namibian clubs have a tendency of treating players like slaves, blaming them for losing matches, forgetting that they are not even paid for their work but only get soft-drinks and some other goodies for their efforts.It is time that Namibian teams, especially in the premiership, make it a priority that unless they take good care of their players and run their affairs more professionally and transparently, they can forget about their chances of making it to the top.They will never play in the Champions League and they will never even win the domestic league.This is not directed at a specific club, but the ones in the do, know it themselves.I know money is a problem in many of these clubs, but showing respect, a sense of appreciation for the efforts of players and to at least provide the basics, will make every player happy.They will ultimately develop a winning mentality like Civics and bring in those trophies and of course the cash into the club.There are individual milestones for several players such as captain Amos Shiyuka, William Chilufya, Franklin April and Killian Kavari who will be going for their eighth caps in the coveted event.That also includes their head coach Helmuth Scharnowski, administrative executive Tim Isaacs and team medic Sedney Afrikaner.Civics, since winning their first league title during the 2004/05 season, have maintained a consistent run domestically, landing them the second one during the 2005/06 season.They are clearly destined for a third one at the end of this season and this can all be attributed to the professional way in which the club is run.By this I don’t mean that other clubs are run like “kambashus” but Civics simply stand out among the others that have even been around for many years before Civics stepped onto the stage.The side has set a trend with their professional approach to all aspects of the Namibian game.Their philosophy is straightforward: Cater for the needs of the players and the success will come in leaps and bounds.That means an effective administration which takes care of all the logistics of the team, but most importantly, the players are treated as kings.The club, fortunately for them, has invested large sums of money in the administration of the team, while the players are assured of sufficient compensation for their work on the field.The team has made sure to acquire the best players in the country and these are their biggest assets.It is therefore not strange for them to win the league back-to back and playing three times in the Champions League.They earned that and they need to be respected for that record.The team is currently in the process of investing in infrastructure and their youth development programme is up and running.Scharnowski has loaned about four quality players to Friends to help that team have a balanced and competitive team in the league, a gesture that no other coach is likely to make.As I said, Civics are fortunate to have large sums of money at their disposal, but that is also brought in by the players as they go all out to win every major local championship at stake.Apart from Civics, there are other clubs with good administrators, but a lack of funds to compensate their players makes it difficult for them to prosper.There are good players all round in Namibia, but it is important for the players to feel that they are the most important people in the team, not officials.Some Namibian clubs have a tendency of treating players like slaves, blaming them for losing matches, forgetting that they are not even paid for their work but only get soft-drinks and some other goodies for their efforts.It is time that Namibian teams, especially in the premiership, make it a priority that unless they take good care of their players and run their affairs more professionally and transparently, they can forget about their chances of making it to the top.They will never play in the Champions League and they will never even win the domestic league.This is not directed at a specific club, but the ones in the do, know it themselves.I know money is a problem in many of these clubs, but showing respect, a sense of appreciation for the efforts of players and to at least provide the basics, will make every player happy.They will ultimately develop a winning mentality like Civics and bring in those trophies and of course the cash into the club.