A total of 40 football coaches, from four regions on the mainland Tanzania, have successfully completed the Confederation of African Football Association Diploma ‘D’ license training course.
Trainees, both men and women, were taken from various institutions including the Tanzania People’s Defense Forces (TPDF), Prisons Wardens, the National Service and the Police Force.
Participants who underwent the training hailed from Arusha, Dodoma, Mwanza and Manyara.
The theory and practical training sessions were conducted using the CAF syllabus under the supervision of the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF).
The training was held at the Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium, in Arusha City.
The Chairperson of Arusha Regional Football Association (ARFA) Zakayo Mjema said the trainee coaches comprised the youngest participant, a lady aged only 18 as well as the oldest, a coach aged over 55.
“The course teaches people to learn and understand all matters concerning football, from the laws, regulations, management and technicalities to actual understanding the entire soccer industry,” said Mjema.
“The main thing is that all trainees should make use of the lessons learned from the course,” said the ARFA official, adding that they also want members of media, especially sports writers, to also undergo the training in future.
“Even reporters need to be experts in soccer so that they may write things that are professional and believable,” Mjema maintained, adding that Tanzania wants to produce more experts in sports and especially football.
The trainer from the Tanzania Football Federation Wane Mkisi said the main reason for the training was to prepare the coaches to be in a better position to recruit, prepare and train young and upcoming footballers.
On his part, Tumaini Komba from the Black Rhino Sports Institute of Karatu said the training has been useful especially for those who were in the grassroots levels and now upgraded to CAF Diploma ‘D.’
“We believe that football skills should start from the youth and children,” he said, adding that it was their sole responsibility to nurture talents from grassroots level.
On the other hand, the Arusha Women Football Association is organizing monthly soccer Bonanzas in the region, to test the skills of the coaches who have been trained in the CAF Diploma ‘D’
A total of eight women coaches have also undergone the CAF training sessions in Arusha