Rollers have raised the bar
Dennis Keagile | Friday August 1, 2014 12:10
It is a club many in South Africa and the continent bench mark on when it comes to marketing and branding. It is branding that properly positions an organisation well in the market and creates lots of good will.
I was therefore thrilled and happy to see Township Rollers living that dream on Sunday. I do not want to call its financiers sponsors but partners.
All along, we have been looking at Gaborone United but I must say Rollers have raised the bar. Basically, the club wants to have a partner for all its divisions or departments.
The club has realised that accommodation on its own is a major cost and so is transport, not to mention the upkeep of its personnel (salaries).
For this, I am grateful to the management of the club for it has put the interest of the organisation first. Like it is sometimes said: “Seek ye the kingdom first and the rest shall come”.
The success of the team and club will eventually bear fruit to the investors.
For me, what seems clear is that the management of the club wants to create a real institution that can sustain itself; an institution that cannot be held to ransom by an individual or a few individuals; an institution that can be a force to reckon with.
The greatest beneficiary is none other Botswana football. The Premier League and the national team can only get better if clubs are run professionally.
More often than not, we tend to look at those running the football association to provide guidance but the brutal truth is that it is clubs that should guide the association.
Those serving the association become policy implementers.
While we celebrate this marketing success by Rollers, I would be more happy if the club gets land to build its own stadium. Land is getting scarce by the day and the sooner our clubs act and acquire a piece the better.
I also challenge the Premier League to do the same if it wants to be autonomous. It cannot be hosted by the Botswana Football Association (BFA) forever. Another aspect still missing in our in Botswana is sports nutrition. The Botswana National Olympic Committee should educate its affiliates about this.
Otherwise congratulations to Rollers and I expect a much better performance from the team unlike last season. They only won the league through resilience after trailing for a long time.
BFA
Congratulations to Tariq Babitseng, Marshlow Motlogelwa, Senki Sesinyi and Susan Sentsho for being elected to the at BFA committee. However,
I am not sure why the finance person also holds the portfolio of marketing manager because these are two distinct functions.
I do not expect a finance person to excel on issues of marketing. I expect the current executive to deliver on its promises as the people who have been voted think alike.
The BFA president Tebogo Sebego has however been too quiet on women’s football. It is time he outlines his blue print for women’s football. I think I have an idea on his thinking about youth football but as for women, things are vague.
Zebras
On the eve of the Zebras’ all-important second leg AFCON qualifier against Guinea Bissau, I am a little jittery, not about the preparedness of the team, but with the mental strength.
I expect a lot of dirty stuff to be thrown at the team both on and off the pitch. I am not sure if an advance party was sent to secure accommodation, training fields and food.
When they were here for the first leg, the Guineans behaved like people who still leave in dark ages.
In fact, I always wonder why black people treat each other like dirt and then claim that they abide by the principles of fair play.
Fair Play means giving your opponent all the best treatment possible. It is not about frustrating your opponents and treating them like dogs.
Perhaps the Confederation of African Football has been too lenient on this. Tough action ought to be taken against associations or clubs that do not follow competition rules.
Europeans treat each other with respect and it is time Africa, especially from western part of the continent discard their barbaric mentality. The Zebras therefore ought to be prepared for anything ranging from poor accommodation and substandard officiating.
The players ought to behave lest we get unnecessary red cards or concede dubious penalties. The Zebras have to qualify for the group stage at all costs. This is what matters and good luck bafana.