Close And Successful Ties With Germany Through Football

15 June 2011

press release

Germany and Namibia have built a successful partnership for the improvement of football in the southern African nation. As the Women’s football World Cup in Germany approaches, the success of the partnership comes to the fore, with the national coach receiving an appointment by FIFA and two more training programs beginning.

Namibia’s women’s national football coach, Jacqueline Shipanga, has been appointed by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) as a member of the technical study group at this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, taking place in Germany from June 26 until July 17, 2011.

Children playing football in Namibia As an associate of FIFA’s expert panel her main task during the tournament will be the monitoring and analysis of participating teams at matches and training sessions as well as thorough discussions and the exchange of information with players and coaches off the field. It is FIFA’s aim to detect current trends in the football game and to initiate discussions on controversial issues such as the “passive offside”. After the tournament, a final report on the technical study group’s conclusions and recommendations will made available to national associations to enable them to improve their team’s playing techniques.

Shipanga she was trained as a football coach under the German football programme “Deutsches Fußball Projekt Namibia”, organised by the German Olympic Sport Federation (DOSB) in close cooperation with the German Football Association (DFB) and financed by the German Foreign Office.

In a continuation of the partnership between Germany and Namibia in the area of football, two Namibian football teams will depart for Germany in mid June to attend training camps in Germany’s renowned sport school in Kamen-Kaiserau.

The two selected teams, namely the Junior Men’s National team and the Women’s U20 team were invited by the German Football Association (DFB) and the regional Football and Athletics Association Westphalia (FLVW). Based on bilateral agreements, both federations maintain strong relationships with the Namibian Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture and the Namibia Football Association (NFA). Together they have worked to further develop Namibia’s football sector, such as the Galz & Goals programme which provides young promising Namibian football players with German sponsorships.

The invitation extended to the junior teams is part of the programme of the “Deutsches Fußball Projekt Namibia”, also organised by the German Olympic Sport Federation (DOSB) in close cooperation with the German Football Association (DFB) and financed by Germany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the NFA, the young women’s team will leave Namibia on the June 18. During their stay in Germany they will also have a chance to attend two matches at the FIFA Women’s Football World Cup, between June 26 and July 27, 2011. Jacqueline Shipanga, the national team’s coach, regards the invitation by the sport school Kamen-Kaiserau as an excellent opportunity for the team to obtain adequate and high-quality training in preparation of the upcoming Zone VI Games in Zambia next year.

Shipanga recognizes the excellent training facilities in Germany which according to her will certainly contribute to the team reaching its goals and becoming competitive football players. Shipanga herself will not attend the training camp due to her appointment to the FIFA technical study group.

Natasha Cloete as team manager, Klaus Stärk the NFA technical director and Karl-Heinz Griesshaber, a German technical expert will accompany the young players.

The group will also include the NFA Women’s Desk Head, Jackey Gertze and NFA Secretary-General Barry Rukoro, who will also attend the FIFA women’s football symposium in Frankfurt.

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