U17 experience worth more than medals

Namibia’s second string U17 national soccer side may not have won any medals or any match during the recent Four Nations Tournament at the coast, but the team’s officials think the experience they gained was worth more than medals.

The national B side, essentially a Khomas selection, was roped in at the last minute to replace the Zimbabwean U17 side which withdrew at the last minute. The B side lost all its round robin matches against Namibia A, Westphalia and South Africa but coach Timo Tjongarero said his team had won more than it lost.”If you consider that we were asked to replace Zimbabwe at the last minute and the fact that we only had two days to train together then the results really become immaterial,” said Tjongarero.He said he was pleased with the fact that the B side improved with every match although they could not manage to get on the score sheet despite the numerous chances.”The result of our matches is not a true reflection of the standard of our team.In many instances we had numerous chances that we just needed to put away but perhaps the stage was to big for the boys,” said Tjongarero.According to the coach, the opportunity to play against foreign opposition was a first for most of the players in the B side.”That in itself is an experience for the boys.They learned that playing in our own U17 league is a different kettle of fish than playing against opponents from other countries.The level of competition, the spectators and everything else is just different and at a higher level.””To crown it all, most of my players have never seen the sea, never slept in a hotel and some never had an opportunity to enjoy three full meals per day,” said Tjongarero.Therefore, he added, the Four Nations Cup was an experience from which his side would just grow and become stronger.He said it was imperative that the players be exposed to more competitive soccer against other regions and perhaps to compete in regional competitions outside Namibia.”That is the only way we will grow as a team and by extension as a country.We need to expose our players to more competitive events to prepare them for tough competitions in future.My thanks go to the Namibia Football Association and the Government for having given the boys this opportunity to test their strength against foreign opposition,” concluded Tjongarero.Meanwhile Westphalia won the Four Nations tournament when they defeated Namibia A 4-2 in the final.South Africa won the bronze medal after beating Namibia B 6-0 in the third place play-off.NampaThe B side lost all its round robin matches against Namibia A, Westphalia and South Africa but coach Timo Tjongarero said his team had won more than it lost.”If you consider that we were asked to replace Zimbabwe at the last minute and the fact that we only had two days to train together then the results really become immaterial,” said Tjongarero.He said he was pleased with the fact that the B side improved with every match although they could not manage to get on the score sheet despite the numerous chances.”The result of our matches is not a true reflection of the standard of our team.In many instances we had numerous chances that we just needed to put away but perhaps the stage was to big for the boys,” said Tjongarero.According to the coach, the opportunity to play against foreign opposition was a first for most of the players in the B side.”That in itself is an experience for the boys.They learned that playing in our own U17 league is a different kettle of fish than playing against opponents from other countries.The level of competition, the spectators and everything else is just different and at a higher level.””To crown it all, most of my players have never seen the sea, never slept in a hotel and some never had an opportunity to enjoy three full meals per day,” said Tjongarero.Therefore, he added, the Four Nations Cup was an experience from which his side would just grow and become stronger.He said it was imperative that the players be exposed to more competitive soccer against other regions and perhaps to compete in regional competitions outside Namibia.”That is the only way we will grow as a team and by extension as a country.We need to expose our players to more competitive events to prepare them for tough competitions in future.My thanks go to the Namibia Football Association and the Government for having given the boys this opportunity to test their strength against foreign opposition,” concluded Tjongarero.Meanwhile Westphalia won the Four Nations tournament when they defeated Namibia A 4-2 in the final.South Africa won the bronze medal after beating Namibia B 6-0 in the third place play-off.Nampa