When empty seats greet the Mares

Mqondisi Dube | Tuesday October 13, 2026 10:44

The fans are nowhere to be found as the Mares prepare to host Tanzania’s Twiga Stars in a crucial 2028 Olympic Games qualifier. This is not a friendly match, but a contest that could determine who keeps their Olympic dream alive on the road to Los Angeles 2028. Yet the crucial 12th player in football, the supporters, is missing.

Some say it is business as usual, as the women’s game continues to lag behind the men’s in terms of pulling power. Had it been the Zebras, the National Stadium could have turned into a hive of activity hours before kick-off, some argue with an element of authority.

Adjacent to the National Stadium, another football match is taking place, with Gaborone United and Morupule Wanderers preparing to battle in an FNB Premiership fixture. The attendance is noticeably better than that attracted by the Mares.

Other voices blame the Botswana Football Association’s (BFA) poor marketing of the Olympic qualifier. But others are adamant that little could have been done to pull a crowd.

Some point to the entry charges, suggesting that the public should have been allowed free entry. But how long should a national sporting product be dished out for free? Would this not sustain certain narratives about the women’s game and the gap between it and the men’s game?

For starters, the authorities should have protected the 7pm slot instead of creating a counter-attraction by scheduling an FNB Premiership match to kick off simultaneously, just metres away at the GU Stadium.

This sends an unfortunate message that the women’s game matters less. When the Zebras play, the schedule is often cleared to avoid divided attention. Yet the Mares were left to face Tanzania in an almost empty stadium.

This is a team that has twice qualified for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) finals and has gained sufficient standing to attract its own crowd if adequately supported.

The dangerous thinking that the public must be given free entry should be challenged, as it risks sustaining stereotypes about the women’s game and, by extension, women’s sport.

There is a tendency to attach less value to things that come for free. But this should not be the case with women’s football, particularly the Mares, who should be a source of national pride. In fact, the team’s profile should be rising following its previous WAFCON finals appearances.

It is deflating for a national team to walk into a yawning stadium where one could almost hear a pin drop. Where is the home advantage? The lack of support may have affected the atmosphere, even as Tanzania managed to dictate proceedings for periods of the match.

However, responsibility for addressing this problem rests with everyone, from the media and the BFA to the fans themselves. Twenty-four hours later, when Township Rollers and Mochudi Centre Chiefs faced each other in the Royal showdown, the National Stadium was transformed, with the stands filled with supporters. Obviously, the Mares cannot be expected to command the same pulling power as the country’s most popular clubs. But if even a quarter of those fans had turned up on Friday to cheer the Mares, the atmosphere would have been vastly different