WINDHOEK: The agreement between the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service (MSYNS) and the Real Madrid Foundation (RMF) will this year benefit thousands of young Namibians from seven different regions through football clinics.

In 2023, the MSYNS, through the assistance of Cadilu Fishing, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the RMF to offer football coaching clinics in Namibia.

In the first edition of the agreement, four regions (Khomas, Erongo, Otjozondjupa and Kavango East) benefited from these coaching clinics that were aimed at empowering Namibian schoolchildren with critical values such as motivation, equality, respect, discipline, and teamwork, among others.

In a recent interview with Nampa, Erastus Haitengela, Executive Director in the MSYNS, said the coaching clinics will this year benefit more Namibians.

'We are currently in Madrid on a site visit to the RMF, where we are looking at signing a permanent or long-term contract with the foundation. The new agreement would promote sport (football) and provide technical support and skill transfer on the setting up of sports clinics,' he said.

He added that the Real Madrid team has already conducted these types of clinics in Rundu, Otjiwarongo, Walvis Bay and Windhoek but their goal is to expand it to other towns such as Mariental, Gobabis, Opuwo, and Keetmanshoop.

'Our purpose of this important working visit is to firstly come and meet the senior management of the RMF and also to conduct physical site visits to permanent schools and high-performance centres in Madrid and Istanbul, Turkey and also to engage local coaches and management as to how we are going to work together to continue operating the clinic projects and also on how to set up the high-performance centres,' Haitengela said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency