30 September 2019 – LaLiga has made great strides in their commitment to sports development in Southern Africa and is especially focused on nurturing football talent from a grassroots level. As part of this dedication, the company has extended its reach to those beyond our local borders.

In collaboration with the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA), LaLiga organised a special activation which culminates in a Youth Festival in Mauritius. This took place on the weekend of the 28th of September at the Saint Francois Xavier Stadium in Port Louis, where newly trained coaches got an opportunity to participate in a football clinic event with the hopes of attaining their accreditations via COSAFA’s activities in their respective area.

The CAF level D course is COSAFA’s contribution to the member association in assisting aspiring coaches in attaining high-impact coaching at any level. Recently CAF reformatted its coaching criteria and processes, and according to the new CAF requirements, those looking to obtain a C-license or higher need to have attained the D-license qualification first. This year, 20 female coaches were involved in the grassroots football initiative along with 80 children between the ages of 6-12.

COSAFA members involved in this initiative include Secretary General, Sue Destombes; Organising Committee Chairman, Timothy Shongwe; President MFA and CAF Exco Member, Samir Sobha.

Samir Sobha comments on the event saying, “Training remains an essential element of any sports federation that aspires to a high level of competitiveness.’ He continues by explaining the impact these football clinics have on the community. ‘We are very pleased to have worked with LaLiga on this project and hope to inspire those from the grassroots level up.”

The Grassroots Coaches concluded their theoretical training on Saturday 28 at 10h00 at the MFA Technical Centre in Trianon and also ended the practical session of the Youth Festival at Saint-Francois-Xavier Stadium in Port-Louis at 14h00.

“We are very excited about this project as it was the first time that LaLiga activated in Mauritius and it is also a perfect example of LaLiga’s commitment to the development within the football industry around the world. We want Mauritian players and clubs to be stronger, as they are the first reference for football fans. As LaLiga, we don’t want to be the main league in Mauritius, but rather the second preferred league after the local one.” says Marcos Pelegrin, LaLiga Africa Managing Director.