Africa-Press – Botswana. There are set minimum requirements to coach at national team level and that all those engaged must meet the set requirements as prescribed by individual sport codes, Minister of Sport and Arts, Mr Jacob Kelebeng says.
Minister Kelebeng said this when responding to a question in Parliament on April 13.
The minister confirmed that all foreign coaches employed to coach in Botswana, for the national teams and the football premier league, possessed the relevant qualifications.
“Botswana Premier League has club licensing requirements, which all clubs must fulfil before participating in the league competitions,” he said.
He added that there were clear requirements of ‘A license’ that foreign coaches must possess to acquire a wok permit to coach a Premier League team.
He promised that the ministry, through Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC), would continue monitoring adherence to prescribed requirements to ensure that recruited foreign coaches possessed relevant qualifications.
Further, he said, national sport associations were encouraged and supported with funding by government through BNSC to capacitate coaches to reach the highest levels of coaching qualifications so as to elevate the performance and skills of local athletes.
He revealed that there were currently five foreign coaches for senior national teams in men’s senior national team, judo, netball, cricket and bowling and that they all possessed minimum requirements.
In addition, the minister said, there were 12 foreign coaches employed by various teams in the Botswana Premier League. Seven of them hold CAF A license, three with UEFA A license and two with UEFA Pro license, which was the highest license in Europe.
Member of Parliament for Molepolole North, Mr Arafat Khan, had asked if the minister was aware that most sport foreign coaches employed in the country were not sufficiently qualified for the roles despite having being roped in.
Mr Khan also wanted to know the measures the minister would take to ensure that only qualified and competent coaches were engaged in developing Botswana’s sporting talent.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
