Pool association back in action
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday December 16, 2016 13:18
According to the spokesperson for the association, Marang Morolong they want to hit the ground running.
He said they did not have a proper organisation between 2002 and 2016 and it made it difficult for them to be taken seriously. He said being under the BNSC is the beginning of good things and a step in the right direction. He said being an affiliate means they are now entitled to BNSC funding. He said the grant will assist in the development of pool and they intend to look for more sponsors.
He said the league format is yet to be agreed upon. He noted that the initial idea was to divide the league into two blocks, North and South. Morolong said the immediate plan is to traverse the country and go to areas where people had shown interest in being members of the association. He said the BOPTA leadership will be travelling to Palapye, Francistown, Letlhakane, Serowe and Jwaneng. Morolong said each affiliate should have three women and in each game, a woman should be playing. He explained that at the moment they cannot have a women’s league because they do not have enough numbers. “We are going to engage with interested people who want to affiliate with BOPTA. Places such as Francistown already have pool league. It is just to work together and see the way forward. We are also working together with the BNSC,” he said.
Morolong said equipment and venues remain a challenge. He said they want to set up venues where the games will be played to avoid using bars. He said it is expensive to hire pool tables and venues.
Meanwhile, early this year, BOPTA held a workshop, which was facilitated by All Africa Pool Association (AAPA) where coaches and referees were accredited. He said seven referees and 11 coaches were accredited.
“We now want those officials to go around the country teaching those who are interested to become officials. We want to monitor our referees and our games will be officiated by accredited officials,” he said.
Morolong said they are yet to affiliate with the All Africa Pool Association. He said the main challenge they are facing is that it is expensive, ranging at around US$5,000. He said the association will also require BOPTA to submit its constitution. He noted that in the past they got assistance from AAPA as part of their social responsibility.