In the space of a few years, and with a little German assistance, FC Civics have enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of Namibian football.

The club has its home in Khomasdal, in the north of the Namibian capital Windhoek. Though one of the city's poorer districts, where half the locals have been out of work for more than 15 years, youngsters play football on the streets to the backdrop of loud music resonating from the colourful one-and two storey family houses.

Khomasdal started life as a segregated township under South African rule. Little has changed in the racial make-up here since Namibia gained its independence in 1990, with only the occasional white face to be seen on the streets of a township still battling to overcome serious social problems.

FC Civics were founded by a group of young students in 1983, who initially named the team after a local street - Bethlehem Boys. The club later became the Mighty Civilians before being recast again as Civics. Even today, the bulk of the squad comes either from Khomasdal or the neighbouring township of Katutura. Ralph Blaauw, who played for Civics in the late 1980s and early '90s before moving into politics, remembers that, "we lads from Khomasdal were certainly no shrinking violets back then".

Over the past few years, residents of this underprivileged area have proudly charted the rise of Civics from useful street team to being Namibia's top club. One of the key figures in that success story is Helmut Scharnowski, who hails from the northern German city of Flensburg.

Scharnowski founded the charity Buschschule, which, among other things, finances development programmes for young Namibians. He garnered his first coaching experience with lower-league German clubs in the 1980s, and six years ago was appointed president and head coach of FC Civics.

The rise of FC Civics
The club's association with Buschschule, which began at the end of 2000, has guaranteed it a measure of financial stability. That, combined with a dose of Germanic discipline and Scharnowski's powers of motivation, has been the foundation of its success.

Civics are now one of the few clubs in the country operating on a semi-professional basis and paying a fixed monthly salary. The players receive around 150 euros a month, "the equivalent of a working wage," says Scharnowski. They also receive medical assistance and a social fund is available for cases of particular hardship, which, according to the coach, "engenders a climate of solidarity and mutual acceptance".

Since 2002, Scharnowski has been employing the type of modern training methods favoured by his countryman Jurgen Klinsmann. The club has engaged specialist fitness, technical and goalkeeping coaches, and all to good effect.

After finishing fourth in the league in 2002, third in 2003 and second in 2004, FC Civics won their first Namibian title in 2005. They successfully defended it the following season and are now looking to complete a hat-trick of championship wins. A cup success in 2003 and two appearances in the CAF Champions League are further testimony to the club's ascent.

Early in 2006, Civics grabbed their first victory in Africa's premier club competition, beating Angolan champions Sagrada Esperanza over two legs before succumbing to Ivory Coast's ASEC Mimosa. The Ivorian club's president, Roger Quegnin, had nothing but praise for the Civics' coach, saying, "Scharnowski's ideas for the development of African football show us the way forward." 

Civics now have a nationwide following in Namibia, and Scharnowski has folders bursting with articles on the club from newspapers across southern Africa.

Collin Benjamin is probably Khomasdal's favourite footballing son. The midfielder went by way of two German minor league clubs to Hamburg in 2001, and has scored nine goals in 81 Bundesliga appearances so far.

His example has spurred on other young Namibians, among them Heinrich Isaacks. His 20 goals helped Civics retain their title in 2006, and earned him the Namibian Player of the Year award. Just ahead of the August transfer window deadline, he joined Danish second division outfit Sonderjyske on loan. The Danes' coach Ole Schwennesen said of his arrival: "Heinrich Isaacks is going to be a great footballer. You know that right away when you see him play. He'll help win us promotion."

The modest 21-year old striker, nicknamed 'Skapie', also found the net on his international debut, against Malawi in the COSAFA Cup. Scharnowski admits: "It does make me a little proud, with Collin Benjamin already at Hamburg, to now see another of my lads go to a top European club. It shows that the policy of developing talented players discovered on the street can succeed."

Fringe benefits from South Africa 2010
Helmut Scharnowski also sees the upcoming FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa as a boon to Namibian football.

"We want to work closely together with South Africa," he said. "The two countries are almost like brothers after all, they speak the same language. And football is now the lingua franca in any case." In mind of the close historical ties with South Africa, Scharnowski believes Namibia could be an attractive location for many of the World Cup finalists to round-off their preparations for the tournament.

In addition, the Namibian government has earmarked sponsorship money for the development of a Civics Buschschule international footballing academy, where promising young footballers and street players will also receive training for a career outside the game. When his team was in Côte d'Ivoire, Scharnowski took a close look at the ASEC Mimosa youth academy, which has nurtured talents such as Didier Drogba and Kolo Toure. He has also been establishing links with companies in Germany and elsewhere.

The Civics' coach says his goals are to "set a positive example for both players and management at other clubs, as well as helping the national team." With respect to the latter, the Namibian Football Association has invited national coach Ben Bamfuchile to address the club coaches of the country's top three divisions at a five-day seminar kicking off on 9 October.

Given all this, the development of Namibian football looks like being well worth keeping an eye on over the next few years.