"This award is an honour and it will encourage me to carry on working for football..." a happy Tshepho Mphoeng, one of the 50 Batswana recognised by the Confederation of African Football for their contribution to the development of local football, said. "Before I got this recognition from CAF, I, at times, thought nobody was watching what I was doing. Now I realize that my efforts are being appreciated and this gives me the strength to keep on working."
There is no prize money to the CAF gesture, though, and Mphoeng says that is no big deal."At times, a pat on the back can be more meaningful than money."
For the mother of three, the award late last year was made special by the fact that "I had just turned 50, so it was like an extra birthday present." Mphoeng was born on September 29, 1957 in Serowe, where she now works as matron at the newly opened Sekgoma Memorial Hospital. Her love for football started while she was a student at Moeng College in the 1970s. "I was a softball player in my student days. It was whilst training as a nurse at the National Health Institute in Gaborone that I developed a love for football. About 12 players who were stars while I was at Moeng joined Township Rollers. I found myself cheering them nearly every weekend. Amongst them were the late Sam Sono and Master Maiketso who went on to be household names."
When she completed her nursing studies in 1982, Mphoeng was posted to Selibe Phikwe where Tebro Onkabetse, who was running football affairs in Phikwe asked her to help run the Phikwe Regional Association.
"In Phikwe I was secretary of the Rollers Supporters branch and when Onkabetse asked me to work with him, I was at first reluctant but I eventually took up the offer. My late husband, Tshegofatso, supported me in my decision. I must say that being married to a football-loving man made things easier for me. I am lucky in the sense that my relatives and children also love football and understand its demands."
Mphoeng's football star continued to rise until she became a member of the Botswana Football Association National Executive Committee in 2000 at the recommendation of Onkabetse. At the time, she was chairperson of the Phikwe Region. She has been on the BFA NEC since then and was Phikwe chairperson until she was transferred to Serowe in 2005.
The woman, who is a FIFA National Instructor in Administration courses and holds a Diploma in Administration in addition to her nursing and midwifery qualifications, believes that our football has a bright future.
She is concerned though about the reliance on non-professionals. "We need to have trained people running our football. We must have trained coaches and administrators. The trend now is that anybody who shows interest can be an administrator but things do not work that way. Cheering loudest in the stands when a team is playing does not mean one can run football. There is more to running football. The sooner we realize that the better. We need skilled people.
"We must also do our best to recruit skilled people into the sport and stop relying on volunteers. Skilled people do not usually volunteer. They need to be made to feel that their skills are needed and the best way is to approach them."One solution may be to recruit ex-players to work for football, she says.
Quizzed on her ambitions in football, Mphoeng reveals that she has been approached to stand for the presidency of the BFA, "but that's a job that needs one to live in Gaborone. Unfortunately, I hate living in the city. I might stand for the vice presidency which can allow me to live in Serowe."
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