Southampton tacticians to train coaches in Dar es Salaam

SportPesa Tanzania official Levis Paul (right) welcomes Southampton FC coaches at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam yesterday. The tacticians will conduct a three-day coaching course. PHOTO| COURTESY OF SPORTPESA

What you need to know:

  • Southampton coaches arrived in the country yesterday for a programme dubbed ‘Coaches to Count On,’ which covers all aspects of football

Dar es Salaam. Football coaches from English Premier League side Southampton are in the country to train local coaches in a programme aimed at improving football in Africa.

They arrived in the country yesterday at the invitation of sports betting company – SportPesa Tanzania.

The programme, dubbed ‘Coaches to Count On’ is an initiative of the gaming firm.

It will see the Southampton tacticians training 20 coaches, while those from English Premier League giants Arsenal will be in South Africa on a similar mission.

SportPesa Tanzania director of Administration and Compliance Tarimba Abbas, named the coaches as Andy Martino (Southampton coach), James Newbigin (partnership manager) and Jason Holmes (coach).

Tarimba said Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has already named 20 coaches from various clubs around the country who will attend the training sessions.

Already, Arsenal coaches are in South Africa on a three-day programme that covers all aspects of football and involves courses for coaches of varying levels of ability.

The initiative is part of SportPesa’s ‘Kits for Africa Campaign’ launched three years ago.

The programme has yielded more than 75,000 pieces of kits donated by football fans at collection points located outside Everton’s Goodison Park, Hull City’s KCOM Stadium and Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium.

“The coaching clinic starts today at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam. The three-day programme will involve coaches of varying levels of ability,” said Tarimba. The company is committed to developing sporting performance across Africa, staying true to its roots in the continent, according to Tarimba.

“SportPesa has a proud history of supporting grassroots sport globally and we’re delighted to announce this new scheme which uses our growing network to help develop the next generation of football coaches,” he said.

“Our Kits for Africa campaign demonstrate our commitment to inspiring budding footballers on the continent and we hope this initiative serves to continue that progress,” he added.