Friday marked the start of a Administration & Management Course led by former FIFA Development Officer Ashford Mamelodi in Lusaka, Zambia, part of COSAFA’s drive to develop football on and off the pitch in the Southern African region.

The five-day course will take attendees through best practises on how to effectively stage events to global standards, and was also attended on the opening day by Football Association of Zambia president Andrew Kamanga.

Mamelodi has a wealth of experience in this regard and takes participants through the requirements of hosting major events and of being an effective administrator that makes the best use of resources.

“This course provides administrators with the tools to build successful programmes to manage major events, and how to problem solve when issues are discovered,” Mamelodi said.

“COSAFA has been a leading driver of these programmes in the Southern African region, in both women’s and men’s football, and should be commended for providing the platform for others to gain knowledge.

“Effective administration is vital to ensure not only that tournaments take place, but do so to budget and the required standard so that participants, be it players, coaches or fans, get the experience they expect.”

The Administration & Management Course is one of a number of off-field initiatives by COSAFA during the on-going Men’s Under-20 Youth Championship in Lusaka.

Others include Integrity Workshops by Genius Sports to warn of the dangers of match-fixing and an Elite Referees Course that was run by top FIFA Instructor Felix Tangawarima together with Jackson Pavaza and Katongo Kabungo.

There was also a D-License Coaching Course hosted by CAF Instructor Zunaid Mall, with still to come a Youth Festival for young, aspiring footballers co-hosted by COSAFA and Spain’s LaLiga on either December 13.