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Youth League Speech by BFA President

Nov 16, 2016

Chairperson of BNSC, Mr. Solly Reikeletseng

Media Practitioners

Ladies & gentlemen, Dumelang!

I am truly humbled to be part of this occasion this morning, for this great occasion which marks the beginning of a journey which ended in 2012 AFCON. It gives me great pleasure because we are here to affirm our commitment to enhance and to improve the standard of football. This project will be connecting all children in the country, from North, East, West and South.

Just as a brief background to the project, you will recall that throughout my campaign. I have always been keen on the youth development and as such has continued to actively participate in the youth development. NEC approved the budget which has objectives to guide, coordinate and integrate initiatives in order to transform Botswana football into a globally competitive knowledge through effective development programme.

Project mandate

To create a pool of well developed athletes (football players) in Botswana
Increase the chances of Botswana to qualify for the world major competitions, and compete meaningfully in football
Provide alternative employment opportunities through football
Play a role as football on the national agenda of economic diversification
To use football to develop socila skills among youth thus unifying the nation.

Project goals

To help the nation realize its football potential
To use football as a source of life education
To make sound decisions in their lives
Compete in local and international football high competitions
Create a football nation that produces role models for which younger generations can envy.

Project model

All the BFA 17 Regions will run a maximum : (Boys and Girls)

U-17 20 teams * 25 players per reg = 8500 kids
U-15 20 teams * 25 players per reg = 8500 kids
U-13 20 teams * 25 players per reg = 8500 kids

A total number of 25, 500 children will be participating in this noble project

The competition format will be as follows:

Games will be played per team in a region: 20 teams (boys and girls) x 38 = 760 games starting with:

Regional League
Inter- Regional tournaments
Inter – Block tournaments
National Championship
Re-Introduction of Schools of Excellence during school holidays
Utilisation of Centers of Excellence as set by government
Introduction of Four/Six nations tournaments in Botswana
Participation in most of International annual youth tournaments

It is in pursuit of these noble project, BFA together with other stakeholders have gone further to launch it in Ghanzi, Kasane, Gaborone just to mention but a few. These projects have in return culminated in the birth of girl child projects which will be starting December 2016. I am told that villages in west, east, south including all other villages in the north are covered through this initiative.

This project is just one of the key projects that we undertook this year. Other development includes the expansion of women football in all BFA regions.

Throughout the implementation of the project, we made sure all BFA regions benefit from this project. They are assisted with Football kit, Football balls, Cones and Bibs. All this equipment was procured from Batswana companies, which is investing in Batswana as a football community “Re ka Botswana”.

Director of ceremony, these new developments bring new opportunities such as employment creation, healthy life style and better football players for our elite game.

To the end users, the development will usher in a new era where we as a nation are able to compete globally. This new era also offers the opportunity to us as a nation to now start looking at creating businesses as we will be soon having a professional workshop on football.

Let me take this opportunity to thank the BSNC for the support that you have shown in ensuring that as BFA we are able to achieve our mandate and the mandate of the ministry. We are hopeful that you will continue to provide that much needed financial support in the future to enable us to reach out to even more communities and to enable us to modernize our football.

With those few remarks, I want to thank you all for your attention

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CAF Head of Safety and Security and BFA President Pay Courtesy Visit to Police Leadership

In a significant gesture of collaboration and partnership, Dr. Christian Emeruwa, the Head of Safety and Security for the Confederation of African Football (CAF), along with Botswana Football Association (BFA) President Mr. Tariq T. Babitseng and BFA Chief Operations Officer Mr. Kago Mosinyi, paid a courtesy visit to the Botswana Police Service. The visit aimed to strengthen the relationship between the two organizations, focusing on the integral role that the police play in ensuring the safety and security of all BFA competitions.

During the visit, the delegation met with integral pool of experts a group of key police leaders, who are central to the successful execution of security operations at football events across the country. Among those present were prominent members of the Botswana Police Service, including Mr. Katlholo Mosimanegape, Deputy Commissioner of Police, and several senior officers.

These included Senior Assistant Commissioner Antony Wally (Director of Operations), Senior Assistant Commissioner Godfrey Phonchi (Commander, SSG), Senior Assistant Commissioner Boeletswe Gobotswang (Director, Departmental Services), Senior Assistant Commissioner Reginald Matlhaba (Divisional Commander, South Central), Senior Assistant Commissioner Mudongo Chitutu (Director, Crime Intelligence), and Assistant Commissioner Christopher B. Ndlovu (Deputy Director of Traffic).

The meeting was focused on discussing the coordination and support provided by the police in delivering effective safety and security measures during BFA matches, as well as future collaboration on upcoming projects. The visit highlighted the importance of this partnership in ensuring smooth and secure football matches for both players and spectators.

Both Dr. Emeruwa and Mr. Babitseng expressed their gratitude for the continued cooperation and commitment of the Botswana Police Service in safeguarding the integrity of football events and ensuring the safety of all involved.