Selebi-Phikwe starts Under-15 soccer league
Onalenna Kelebeile | Wednesday December 10, 2014 13:48
The newly appointed regional football committee chairman, Barulaganye Moloi said the Botswana Football Association (BFA) has mandated regional committees to establish youth teams to develop football from grassroots.
He noted that the Under-15 youth league, which began a month ago, includes teams from Selebi-Phikwe.
Mobilisation is ongoing for other teams from neighbouring villages to join. Already four teams have been identified from surrounding villages.
He said the teams identified from surrounding villages would be included during coming tournaments adding they are constrained by shortage of funds to have them in the league.
Moloi said they started the youth league without any money therefore they will be no prize monies.
“Teams are aware of this and have accepted and do fully participate. We are hoping to use the P15, 000 grant from the BFA to buy equipment for the teams instead of using the money for prize monies.
“We will consider prize monies in future when our regional football is fully established,” he added.
He was grateful that they received a donation of 20 balls from the World Group Of Companies, which would be distributed to the youth teams in the region. The regional committee has also appointed Gabanathata Tshegofatso and Peter Mochina as regional youth development head and assistant coaches respectively.
“The arrangement is that the two coaches would visit all the youth teams once in a month,” he noted.
The chairman applauded BCL mine for having offered them a porta cabin for the committee to operate its office.
He said in the past the committees used to run the regional affairs from their homes. The regional committee has also secured an operating space in Area 1 where the porta cabin will be moved.
“We intend to have the office fully operational by January next year.”
He declared that the new committee intends to improve the level of football in Selebi-Phikwe region by working hand-in-hand with relevant stakeholders, adding that they aspire to become a self-sustaining region instead of relying only on the P15, 000 grant from BFA.
He said they would set up a strong fundraising committee for the region.
“The challenges we are currently facing is shortage of funds as they currently have to operate with the little we receive from the motherbody and the little we generate when the transfer window is open.
“There is also a shortage of administration skills among office bearers hence professionalism is compromised,” he said. Moloi further said they would submit a proposal to BFA for office bearers to attend orientation courses that will be regulated by FIFA.