LeFA academy dream comes true through FIFA TDS
The Lesotho Football Association’s long-time dream of establishing an academy will finally come true when the Association’s football academy starts operations early next year in Leribe.
LeFA has partnered with a well-respected high school in Leribe, where the 33 players scouted since the Talented Development Scheme was rolled-out in the country, will undergo their football and academic development.
Introduced by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) in 2021, the Talent Development Scheme (TDS), aims to give every girl and boy the opportunity to realise their potential and provide a pathway to the professional game for the most talented regardless of where they live and their financial situations.
To ensure the optimal implementation of the TDS, which has been rolled out in 176 MAs to date, FIFA sent TDS leads, which in the case of Lesotho, its renowned FIFA Regional Technical Consultant, Serame Letsoaka, to assess the criteria that needed to be fulfilled to put the initial phase of the project in place.
With LeFA set to begin the operations of an academy, FIFA will now assign the Talent Development Scheme Coach to work with Lesotho on the academy and will collaborate with local stakeholders to develop a domestic coaching network.
Speaking at the workshop for FIFA Talent Coaches, FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger, said the signs are very positive for the Talent Development Scheme (TDS).
“It’s becoming a big machine now. It is moving football forward in every single country. Let’s not forget that the core of our thinking is to give every talent in the whole world a chance,” Wenger explained. “I must say, when I look back to 2021, when we started to think ‘What can we do for football in the world?’ and where we are today, even I am quite surprised about how quickly it’s all gone – and, of course, it’s not enough; we always want to do more. But I would like to thank everybody who has contributed to this project because they have worked very, very hard and things look very positive.”
The former Arsenal boss has previously announced that the goal of having 75 elite academies across the world by the end of 2027 as one of the cornerstones of the TDS.
LeFA Talent Development Scheme Manager, Mohaila Letseka stated that Lesotho is blessed to finally be able to kickstart its academy, which will be done in collaboration with a school so as the 33 scouted players are able to strike a good balance between their football development well as their academics.
“This is a blessing to us as Lesotho and we thank God for leading the way to be where we are with this big project today, as we are about to start operations of an academy through the support of FIFA with the Talent Development Scheme programme,” Letseka said.
“I think in three years from now, we would have made big strides as Lesotho because we are going to have these young boys being developed to become world class footballers.”
Letseka revealed that the Kingdom is abuzz since LeFA made the announcement that the academy will start operations by the start of the new year.
“It’s excitement galore across the country. From the Association, parents, the scouted players themselves, media, and football fraternity at large. The project is the first of its kind, where we will have a group of young players living under one roof and undergoing their football development together under a talent coach that will be assigned by FIFA, “Letseka said.
“Very soon we will have quality players produced out of the academy and I wish to thank and congratulate the LeFA President because all this wouldn’t have been possible without his support.
“We also call on the football fraternity and Basotho at large to come on board and support this initiative, which will start with the boys’ academy and to be followed by the girls’ academy,” he said.
