Zimpapers Logo

Fungai Muderere, Senior Sports Reporter

SPAIN’S LaLiga started holding masterclass sessions on Wednesday aimed at equipping grassroot coaches in the Cosafa region with expertise and know-how of the game.

LaLiga has a reputation for developing some of the brightest young stars in global football with a philosophy backed by leading coaches that have honed their methods over many decades in the game.“Now LaLiga will be sharing this expertise and know-how with coaches in the Cosafa region, as well as guests from Ethiopia, in the coming weeks with a series of virtual workshops for both male and female tacticians. The workshops are another step forward in a partnership between LaLiga that was formalised last year and has already seen tangible results,” said Cosafa in a statement.

The masterclass sessions will be aimed at grassroots coaches and will be conducted by head of LaLiga football programmes Juan Florit and Saúl Vázquez Chas, who is a LaLiga senior specialist in Football Projects Development.

These will reportedly focus on training methodology and will shine a light on best practices in how to structure sessions. These workshops will take place up to May 5.

Cosafa said there will also be sessions for professional coaches to be held on April 28 and May 12 that touch on preparation of squads for international competitions and the development of grassroots squads.

“We are delighted that LaLiga will share their expertise with our coaches across the region and recognise that this is a magnificent opportunity for those taking part to learn from the very best,” said Cosafa secretary-general Sue Destombes “When we signed our partnership agreement with LaLiga in 2020, one of our major focuses was the development of our coaches. The quality of coaching does directly impact the calibre of players you will produce. The goal of all of us in the Southern African region is to develop worldclass players in men’s and women’s football.”

LaLiga Southern Africa managing director Marcos Pelegrin, said the workshops are a big step forward in the relationship between his organisation and Cosafa.

“It is always a pleasure for LaLiga to develop projects with our partner Cosafa, focused this time on developing football for local coaches. We are extremely proud to see how our collaboration can impact football in so many countries at the same time,” said Pelegrin.

“This is a milestone for both organisations, and we are looking forward to the feedback we will receive from the coaches across the region. LaLiga is always thrilled to share its experience and knowledge with colleagues from other countries.

“This time, we are excited to be part of this platform that will provide 70 grassroots coaches and 14 professional coaches an opportunity to know more about how we train football in Spain. We hope they can implement some of these new ideas and concepts to their teams, both in amateur and professional clubs. – @FungaiMuderere