'Time to pep up northern women basketball'

Shingirai Madondo | Friday January 17, 2014 15:58

SHINGIRAI MADONDO

Correspondent

FRANCISTOWN: Rebranding Botswana Basketball Association (BBA) is equally anxious about the poor state of women's basketball in Francistown and the better part of northern Botswana.

The association's spokesperson, Peter Ubakar, said this state of affairs has forced the association to take a step towards improving the game.

At the beginning of last season there were two women's teams in Francistown - Flames and Splinters. But halfway through the season Flames were suspended for failing to honour matches and subsequently went defunct. The Splinters side tried in vain to keep going. Throughout the season, Splinters played second fiddle to their southern counterparts and won only two games. It is against this backdrop that female basketball players have lacked motivation to take the game to another level believing they cannot make an impact on the domestic league.

However, BBA is not folding its arms in the face of a dwindling interest among female basketball players in the north.

'This (improvement of women basketball in the north) is one of our agenda that will be tabled at our managers' meeting in the no distant future,' said Ubakar. Ubakar was quick to point out that an effort by the association alone without an input from women themselves would not make a difference in the development of the game in the north.

'Teams in the north will also have to show unmatched commitment that they want to also improve the game and then the association can step in,' argued Ubakar. He said the association would come on board with contributions.

'If it means sending the national team coach to go out there (in the north) for some time, then that will be done,' he promised.

Ubakar said the BBA has always accommodated the teams from the north, especially the women's teams because the association would like to see the female game in this country getting betteThe association's spokesperson, Peter Ubakar, said this state of affairs has forced the association to take a step towards improving the game.At the beginning of last season there were two women's teams in Francistown - Flames and Splinters. But halfway through the season Flames were suspended for failing to honour matches and subsequently went defunct. The Splinters side tried in vain to keep going.

Throughout the season, Splinters played second fiddle to their southern counterparts and won only two games. It is against this backdrop that female basketball players have lacked motivation to take the game to another level believing they cannot make an impact on the domestic league.However, BBA is not folding its arms in the face of a dwindling interest among female basketball players in the north.'This (improvement of women basketball in the north) is one of our agenda that will be tabled at our managers' meeting in the no distant future,' said Ubakar.

Ubakar was quick to point out that an effort by the association alone without an input from women themselves would not make a difference in the development of the game in the north.'Teams in the north will also have to show unmatched commitment that they want to also improve the game and then the association can step in,' argued Ubakar.

He said the association would come on board with contributions.'If it means sending the national team coach to go out there (in the north) for some time, then that will be done,' he promised. Ubakar said the BBA has always accommodated the teams from the north, especially the women's teams because the association would like to see the female game in this country getting better.