Overused National Stadium turf takes pounding
Mqondisi Dube | Friday October 5, 2018 14:04
The stadium is in constant use and this has seen the turf fail to recover. Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) chairperson, Solomon Reikeletseng admitted the facility is struggling to cope.
“It is highly utilised because it is the only available facility around Gaborone. There is a lot of pressure on the pitch. It is overused,” Reikeletseng said.
The pitch hosts music and church festivals, BDF and Police Day(s), in addition to sports activities, including soccer, and at times, rugby matches.
“It is difficult to prepare it for sports events, as there is hardly time for the turf to recover. Sport activities get compromised, and we have asked for funds to maintain the facility as the grant that we receive from the government is insufficient,” he said.
Despite the Competition Authority resolving the stadium’s branding war between telecommunications giants, Mascom and BTC, there has been limited use of the stadium by soccer clubs. Botswana Premier League (BPL) chief executive officer, Thabo Ntshinogang said clubs have failed to book the facility due to demand.
“The reason is that the stadium has either been booked for other activities or turf given time to recover after some activities that cause damage to the playing surface,” Ntshinogang said.
The state of the turf was roundly criticised during the CAF Champions League tie between Township Rollers and Esperance in August, with the visitors, complaining about the pitch condition.
As a result of the regular pounding the pitch gets, the next Zebras match against Burkina Faso on October 16 has been taken to the Francistown Sports Complex, to give the Gaborone facility time to recover.