17 Dec 2024

In the tourism town of Maun, there is a 15-year-old young woman by the name Katlego Kgosimore, who is an inspiration to fellow youngsters dreaming to become professional footballers. 

Currently a student at Maitlamo Junior Secondary School, she is one of Maun’s most promising female football players and envisages to become a professional player. 

Her dedication, commitment to excellence and electrifying performance in the game caught the eyes of some sports administrators who volunteered to groom and empower her to achieve her dream of becoming an international player. 

She is of the view that it is possible for youngsters to reach their dreams with unwavering determination and her dream of becoming a professional player has not always felt this close to reach. 

Her sterling performance earned her a slot in the National Under 17 women football team where she played as a goalkeeper and also represented the Nhabe Regional Football Association and the northern region in some competitions.

 Recently, she clinched a Dynamic Athlete Award, which celebrated excellence in sports as well as showcasing skill, teamwork, and perseverance, courtesy of Queen Esther organisation. 

“My passion for the game of football started at an early age as I used to play around with small boys in the dusty grounds of Maun after school. Unlike in other families where girls were not allowed to play a ‘boy sport,’ my parents approved me to play freely and my love for the game grew,” said Kgosimore in an interview when narrating her journey in sport.

She acknowledged soccer requires discipline and focus to learn to follow rules and stated that playing the game at a tender age worked wonders for her as it taught her discipline and focus, developed communication abilities, team work as well as build her confidence and self-esteem.

 Kgosimore said she got addicted to the game and one of the local coaches identified her raw talent and recruited her to join one of the local football clubs, Saint Daniel Football Club, which plays in the Second Division league and that is where her natural talent quickly became evident. 

Her abilities flourished and she rapidly ascended through the club’s ranks, showcasing agility and goal scoring prowess. 

Because of her invaluable experience and technical skills, she said her coach convinced her to try to be a goalkeeper and agreed because her dream was to become a professional player. 

“I took on the challenge and my coach was very impressed with my ball handling skills, passing accuracy and the ability to make quick decisions with the ball. 

His mentorship and motivation also helped me to grow and attracted the attention of sports administrators, both regionally and nationally,” she emphasised. 

Kgosimore recalled that last year, she joined the National Under-17 women football team playing against Burundi and this year an invitation has been also extended to her to join the team as well and “this is an indication that my dream of becoming a professional player is close to becoming a reality,” she declared. 

As a goalkeeper, she said one has to be able to read the game effectively, make quick decisions as well as manage the flow of the game.  The young lady had to strike a balance between soccer and academics, which she said required discipline and a supportive environment. 

She appreciated that her coach, who is also a teacher at Maitlamo school, noting that she allocated time efficiently for both activities.

Kgosimore thanked her mother, coach and fans for their support and encouraged parents to introduce their children to any sport code of their choice, saying sport offers a lot of benefits such as mental, social and cognitive growth. 

She said participating in sport activities could help children develop their teamwork skills and communication abilities. Her coach, Conwell Moakofi, also attested that Kgosimore is a promising soccer star.

When he met Kgosimore in 2022 and since school sports were suspended, she recruited her to join his club,  noting that she was a middle field player by then and he tried her at the goalkeeping department. 

He said Kgosimore continued her sterling performance as she displayed maturity and she was called for selection of National Under-17 where she also displayed an impressive performance. 

Moakofi said Kgosimore has also been called to the National Under-17 camp this year. 

Asked how he supports her to balance sports and academics, he said they train everyday but when examinations approach, they break to focus on studies and encourage them to train at the nearest local football clubs on weekends. 

A lot of teams in the elite league have shown interest to recruit her. 

“It is my wish to see her playing in big league teams and I wish she could be taken to Mogoditshane Centre of Sports Excellence, whose mission is to integrate academics, sport and support services towards holistic development of athletes in pursuit of sports excellence.” Ends