𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚 & 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐀𝐅𝐂𝐎𝐍

Helvi Eliakim: Making Her Mark in Football Administration

Namibia Football Association Competitions Officer Helvi Eliakim continues to make her mark in football administration, representing Namibia on the continental stage at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). Serving as a General Coordinator, Eliakim played a key role in supporting the smooth and professional delivery of the tournament, demonstrating the importance of strong administration and leadership behind the scenes of African women’s football.

Eliakim has served as a General Coordinator (GC) at several major CAF events. Most recently, she was the GC for the first leg of the 2026 CAF Champions League final between Mamelodi Sundowns and AS FAR.

The former Brave Gladiators captain began her CAF journey in 2021, when CAF introduced the Women’s Champions League tournament. Reflecting on her progress, Eliakim credited the Football Association, COSAFA and CAF for creating opportunities for women to contribute to and officiate at major football tournaments.

“It takes hard work and commitment to reach here, and I want to thank the FA, COSAFA and CAF for providing women with such opportunities, especially having women work and officiate at women’s tournaments. We are headed in the right direction, and this is what I wanted to see when I was still playing football.”

Reflecting on her journey, Eliakim also highlighted the pressure that comes with working at major international competitions.

“It’s a lot of work. You have over 20 countries participating, and the pressure not to make mistakes and to ensure that everything runs smoothly can sometimes get to me. But I have had the pleasure of working with amazing people from all over the world, and the CAF team makes the work a lot easier” she said