CREDIT: CAF

The ongoing Women’s Champions League battle was rested on Tuesday as head coaches and key players met to hold discussions on issues useful to the rapid development of women’s football on the continent.

An event, with one of its objectives, empowering women’s football was held on the sidelines of the WCL 2022 in Marrakech, Morocco where CAF discussed with coaches and captains of the four clubs participating in Group B centre.

The interactive session was attended by Bayelsa Queens coach Domo Okara, and his player Blessing Ilivieda, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Jerry Tshabalala and his captain Zanele Nhlapho, Wadi Degla coach Wael El Sayed and his player Omnia Mahmoud, as well as TP Mazembe coach Marcello Kadiamba and his vice captain Yvonne Iowa Obonga.

Meskerem Tadesse Goshime, Head of Women’s Football Development at CAF opened the meeting while outlining the mission and objectives behind organising the session during the second edition of the eight-club competition.

“CAF’s mission is to further raise the standards of women’s football on the continent and especially to professionalise it. I am counting on you greatly. I encourage you to feel free to express and share all your needs to improve our football,” Tadesse said in her address to the coaches and players.

“We have put together a strategy for women’s football and its development since 2020. Training for coaches and zonal instructors, the implementation of girls’ schools program, the increase of teams participating at WAFCON, and the creation of a Women’s Champions League, a prominent competition.

“To professionalise the structure surrounding women’s football, for the Champions League, we imposed contracts for players and licenses for the coaches. Despite how far we have come in this direction for the development of women’s football in our continent, there’s still a lot to do,” she added.

She further explained that the meeting with the captains and coaches was a continuation of the interviews carried out by CAF directly with players and coaches, to get their views and ideas on the development of women’s football on the continent.

Raul Chipenda, Director of Development, Meskerem Goshime, Head of Women’s Football Development, Lamia Boumehdi, and Clementine Touré of the CAF Technical Study Group, each had a “one-on-one” session with clubs’ representatives.

During the sessions, each coach and player were urged to freely open up about their career and personal experiences and to give their helpful opinion on growing the women’s game in Africa.

The interactive meeting offered CAF valuable observations and ideas, as the continent’s ruling body pushes to bridge the gap and also intentionally develop and boost women’s football.