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CAF Women’s Football Department and Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF) kicked off a women’s football coaching workshop with African Women’s National Teams coaches in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday.
This collaborative workshop, attended by a total of 32 coaches (16 from Africa and 16 from Saudi Arabia), aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of women’s coaches coaching senior or junior women’s national teams as either head or assistant coaches.
The initiative is part of the two organizations’ MoU signed last year by CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe and Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) President Yasser Al Misehal to raise football competitive levels and develop skills for football administrators.
The workshop aims to foster a sense of community and promote interaction between coaches in Africa and Saudi Arabia. It reiterates CAF’s commitment to increasing gender diversity in coaching.
CAF’s Head of Women’s Football, Meskerem Tadesse Goshime, said: “We believe this workshop is a testament to CAF’s commitment to ensuring women have opportunities to succeed in the sport, and it emphasizes CAF’s and SAFF’s dedication to fair opportunities and inclusivity. We are offering a unique opportunity to women’s national team head or assistant coaches who hold CAF B and above license credentials. The workshop aims to improve their knowledge beyond the technical and tactical aspects of the game, focusing on team management, leadership, communication, physical fitness, and training women as a women’s topic. It is a way to motivate these coaches and give them the recognition they deserve from us and their respective MAs. We hope to see them grow and take more on leadership roles in their coaching careers.”
The multi-award-winning coach Desiree Ellis, who is participating in the workshop as a panellist member, was candid about her being an inspiration to others.
The Winning Coach of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s AFCON 2022 and four-time winner of the CAF Awards’ Coach of the Year said: ‘’I think that many women’s coaches look to the achievements of the Women’s National Team of South Africa for inspiration. We have faced challenges that others may be only experiencing now. Through this workshop, we can offer help and support to them because ultimately, it’s not just about South Africa but about the entire continent. We inspire each other by who we are and what we do. Look at Gaoletlhoo Nkutlwisan, she is the first coach to take Botswana to WAFCON. Whatever they achieve, they are already inspiring someone else.”
The list of participating African coaches includes:
Gaoletlhoo Nkutlwisan (Botswana), Ininahazwe Belyse (Burundi), Simephi Mamba (Eswatini), Bernice Adutumwaa Kyeremeh (Ghana), Jackline Juma (Kenya), Beldine Lilian Odemba (Kenya), Elizabeth Yelimala (Lesotho), Selamawit Zeray (Liberia), Kebeh G. Lamine (Liberia), Uerikondjera Mammie Kasaona (Namibia), Adanna Gloria Nwanire (Nigeria), Thinasonke Mbuli (South Africa), Kaï Tomety (Togo), Ahumuza Colines (Uganda), Naomi phiri (Zambia), Florence Nkatya Mwila (Zambia)
The workshop will run from May 14 to 18, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This first session is dedicated to English-speaking MAs, and CAF will announce the programme for French-speaking MAs in due course.
