University of the Western Cape: She-Bobo partners with the British Council South Africa to coach the coaches

The participating clubs of the She-Bobo football festival are sending their coaches to the Premier Skills programme to be held at the University of the Western Cape on 20 and 21 October 2022.

The Premier Skills programme is an initiative between the British Council South Africa and the English Premier League. The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.

The Premier Skills draws upon the English Premier League’s global appeal and expertise in delivering community programmes in the UK, alongside the British Council’s global network in South Africa.

Through Premier Skills, young people who are passionate about sports are given opportunities to become better integrated into their local communities, to develop their skills, participation and raise their self-esteem.

“British Council South Africa is excited to have partnered with the University of The Western Cape to deliver a two-day football coaching course which will enable coaches to plan a safe, purposeful, enjoyable and inclusive football coaching session,” said Katlego Malaka, Project manager: Sports and Education, British Council.

Gasant Abarder, She-Bobo at UWC league co-ordinator, said: “The broader plan with this junior girls’ football league is to create a platform to develop young people in our communities. We are delighted to have the British Council on board to partner with us as we walk this road to create the pipeline for girls’ and women’s football in South Africa.”

She-Bobo at UWC seeks to address the lack of competitive soccer for girls under the age of 10 in the Cape Metropole. The University is already a significant contributor to the women’s game with half of the Women’s African Cup of Nations winners for Banyana Banyana being either current students or alumnae.