Windhoek — The Namib Mills third annual Top Score Game Breakers Programme was hosted at the Ramblers Sports Grounds, Windhoek, last Friday.

The purpose of the programme is to present soccer coaching clinics, coupled with life skills training, to learners. In September, the participating schools will play against one another in the Game Breakers tournament, where this year for the first time the winning school walks away with a cash prize of N$20 000.

"To date the Top Score Game Breakers Programme has reached more than 500 school children in the Windhoek region. We believe that the programme's success can be attributed to the combination of teaching soccer skills plus equipping children to successfully deal with life's challenges. We are proud to be associated with this programme," says Ian Collard, managing director of Namib Mills.

Participating primary schools in this year's Top Score Game Breakers Programme are once again Moses van der Byl, Maartii Artisaari, Theo Katjimune, Gammams, MH Greef, Herman Gemeiner, Van Rhyn, Pionierspark, Suiderhof and Tobias Hainyeko.

As part of the programme, each school coach will receive training on different coaching techniques, soccer equipment, consisting of quality soccer balls, agility ladders, agility hurdle sets, sets of cones, soccer bibs, whistles, ball pumps and water bottle carriers for coaching purposes.

In addition, the coaches each receive their own coaching kit consisting of a top, shorts, socks and tracksuits.

Thereafter, the learners will receive weekly coaching from the school coach, while the school coach receives monthly coaching from a professional coach.

All participating schools then take part in a knockout tournament that will be hosted by one of the schools towards the end of the year.

"In addition to the cash prize for the winning school team, the best coaching teacher will also be rewarded with a prize to the value of N$2 500," explained Collard.