Record P2.4m deal for women's leagues
Kabelo Boranabi | Tuesday November 2, 2021 14:19
Speaking at the launch this (Tuesday) morning, DTCB general manager, Sediment Serumola said to promote gender equality and parity, the company considered a request from the BFA to help elevate the women's game in the country. "Since the talks began mid-last year, the DTCB took heed of a request from the BFA to sponsor the women's league. Upon this request, DTCB deliberated and took a decision to not only sponsor the women's league but also the grassroots training programmes in all the 17 regions of the BFA structures.
Commencing in the 2022-2023 season, DTCB will be the lead sponsor of the women's league and grassroots development. This sponsorship will run for three years and amount to the tune of P2.43 million," he said.
For his part, the BFA president Maclean Letshwiti hopes the sponsorship will be a boost to the game as it comes at a time when the senior national team, the Mares and the Under-20 sides are on course to secure places in the continental and global tournaments respectively. "I have always believed that the quickest road to the FIFA World Cup for Botswana and other African countries is through women's football.
Performances by the senior and Under-20 national teams in the CAF and FIFA tournaments qualifiers speak volumes of the strides made in women's football in the country," he said. The deal ends the financial drought for the women's leagues. Over P2 million will be directed towards the leagues whilst the remaining amount will be used for youth development programmes. The game is currently played at regional level as part of a strategy to structure a professional national women's football league.