COSAFA will once again be bringing specialist skills and knowledge to share at the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship that will be staged in Nelson Mandela Bay from August 31-September 11.

As has become tradition, COSAFA will host a variety of legacy events at the tournament that aim to transfer skills and knowledge to local players, coaches, referees and, this instance, media personnel as well.

Here is a list of the off-pitch activities that will take place over the next two weeks.

C-License Coaching Course
This is already underway and will conclude on September 5, with 30 participants from around the Eastern Cape region getting to take the next step in their development as a coach.

Referees Course
A refresher course for referees that starts on Friday and will run for five days, up to the day before the start of the COSAFA Women’s Championship. It is a chance for match officials to fine-tune their knowledge and undergo fitness tests.

Media Officer Training Course
A special workshop for media officers from around the Southern African region will be held to bring them up to speed on the latest developments in the media landscape, but also provide best practices on how to work at tournaments and service journalists in the field.

Fast Footie
There will also be a day of Fast Footie put on for local young players on September 10, featuring eight teams each with 16 players. Fast Footie is a new form of the game that will help budding footballers in the Under-15 age group develop their skills. Matches are shorter, the action quicker and it is all about talent on the ball, hosted by former Bafana Bafana international Mark Fish.

FIFA Schools Football
A two-day workshop where FIFA will deliver a seminar to representatives from around the region on their schools football initiative and officially launch it in southern Africa. Attending will be five representatives from each COSAFA country bar Zimbabwe, as well as association presidents.