MASERU – The Lesotho Football Association (LEFA) with the help of UEFA have opened a week long workshop on league development program at Avani Maseru.
The workshop which falls under the UEFA Assist program is attended by club presidents, vice-presidents as well as general secretaries of Premier League clubs.
It was launched in 2017 and the Assist programme contributes to the global development of football.
Its objective is to share the experience and know-how of UEFA and its member associations outside of Europe.
On this program UEFA works with confederations and FIFA. According to the federation, so far, Assist has channelled UEFA support to more than 400 football development projects in close to 60 countries worldwide.
Initiatives focus on four main goals, Building capacity, developing youth football, Strengthening infrastructure and Supporting UEFA member associations.
Speaking at the opening of the course, LEFA secretary general Mokhosi Mohapi said Lesotho is among the 11 countries in the continent that have come to appreciate that UEFA can assist football in Africa to grow to the level that is desired by Africans.
“Those who have been in football as long as I have been will remember similar initiative called the Meridian Project. It was where they want already established European countries to partner with African MAs and the first program we were partnered with England together with Botswana and Malawi.” He said.
“Then now we are partnered with England once again and we have already benefited last year and we stand to benefit again this year.
We also looking to take advantage because there are some countries on the continent that do not embrace this arrangement, so we are looking forward to taking on another country so that we extend our benefits.” He continued.
He also sis this forms part of LEFA’s mandate to develop football in the country and it also forms part of their strategic plan to try and repackage the league.
“Today those of you who live in this country and those of you will realise that there is an agog we are living in agog.
We are starting an era of renewing, an era of hope, an era of recovering from the lost time we’ve had over decades, how best to start it ahead of government as we have always done as LEFA.” He said.
Tlalane Phahla