Posted in Features, News on Nov 14, 2019.
Bareman, originally from New Zealand has heralded the workshop and the discussions taking place as she believes the outcomes of the workshop will benefit the women’s game on the continent immensely. She said: “It has been fantastic.I am impressed with level of contribution from all participants, this is a special moment, what we doing here is creating a strategy for Women’s football in Africa.”
While Bareman herself has been a pioneer in the Women’s game as she is the first FIFA Chief Officer for Women’s Football, she holds the view that all the participants in Cairo have provided useful feedback which will only benefit the women’s game in Africa. She believes all participants have a unique opportunity to be part of this moment and provide direct contribution towards the strategy they are creating
According to the former Samoan Women’s International Footballer, those gathered in Cairo including Jessica Motaung have the know-how to take the women’s game to higher levels.
“We have experts from all around Africa, like Jessica, whose expertise in marketing, commercial and knowledge of the game is useful, and we have used this knowledge to build a robust strategy,” she remarked.
Bareman believes that clubs such Kaizer Chiefs can play a significant role in Women’s football and should start the idea of exploring setting up a Women’s team
“The great thing about clubs like Chiefs is that they are well established and have good governance structures in place and have big fan bases. A club such as Chiefs can use the resources they have to start establishing women’s team.”
As she feels that Chiefs sound structures are the right ingredients needed for the Amakhosi to help move the Women’s game forward
“Using the same resources, fan base, and good governance it means there is an investment from the top down and there is a ripple effect. When people see big name clubs like Kaizer Chiefs having a women’s team, they see it is as important and fans also then support the team. This certainly helps and creates a good image for Women’s football,” Bareman concluded.