Glimmer Of Hope For Women�s Football
Kabelo Boranabi | Monday June 19, 2017 16:21
The clubs were left to endure a rather frustrating season after a false start to the new initiative of regional leagues.
The Botswana Football Association (BFA) last year cancelled the Super League, which was mainly contested by teams in the south, after introducing regional leagues as part of the process of forming a national league.
Addressing an annual general meeting, NWFC chairperson, Itsholeng Disang said of the 17 regions the Francistown Region league was completed with Francistown United crowned champions while Chobe, Tsabong and Palapye regions played only one round of the games.
Disang said the committee is hampered by problems such as lack of administration funds, politics, unqualified coaches and match officials. She however said it is in the committee’s best interest that leagues are played next season.
“Let me take this opportunity to extend a word of apology to all the stakeholders and members of women football in the southern block for a season which was covered by undesirable activities that brought out football into disrepute and dented relations with football lovers and stakeholders.”
“It is my dream and the dream of the BFA to see the women Division 1 league being played across all the 17 regions in the country. I urge all the regions to go deep into their areas, find and form new women’s teams,” Disang said.
For his part, BFA chief executive officer, Ookeditse Malesu challenged the administrators to be professional in their work. He said they should familiarise themselves with the BFA constitution. “You need to take yourselves seriously.
It is up to you as teams to adhere to the principles. It is key that we have a league in order to access the monetary benefit from FIFA,” he said. The association’s vice president of governance and administration, Segolame Ramotlhwa echoed Malesu’s comments as he called for organised football in the women football structures.
“We want organised women football in the same process as the men. The moment we do things differently then we would be wrong. If we want to have a national league we need to play serious regional leagues,” he said.
It was also revealed that clubs have not paid affiliation fee to the National Women Football Committee. Out of the 77 teams registered with the NWFC, only Gaborone-based UB Kicks have paid the P400 fee in the past season.