4 April 2019 – A total of 30 students enrolling for a SAFA NQ level 5 Sports Management upskills programme from Mpumalanga, visited SAFA House in Nasrec on Wednesday to learn about how the Association run its affairs.

SAFA’s NEC Member and Mpumalanga chairperson, Litheko Marago, said that the trip was of utmost importance, as it opened learners’ eyes on the demands that come with administering football at all levels throughout the country.

This 4-month upskills programme started in October last year and Marago, who is also the SAFA Gert Sibande Region President, said he was pleased with how things have penned out so far.

“This is the second group we are working with in this programme,” Marago said. “The first group completed early this year and we are happy with how things have gone so far.

“SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan once made mention of the importance of producing highly equipped football administrators who would serve at all levels of our football structures. And that is why we, as SAFA Mpumalanga and the Gert Sibande Region, decided to get involved by implementing this programme.”

Marago added: “Young individuals attending this upskill programme also get R2 500 per month up until they complete the course.”

The SAFA Mpumalanga chairperson also added that he was pleased to see that a large turnout of women participating in this programme, adding that it falls under SAFA’s plan of empowering women in the sport throughout the country.

“In total, we have 17 women who are attending this current upskills programme as compared to 13 males,” Marago said. “Out of the 17 women who are attending this course, two of them already have SAFA coaching D licence qualifications, which makes me really happy.

“Graduates of this programme will later be placed in different LFAs where they will serve in various platforms.”