Absence of league �killing� volleyball
Calistus Kolantsho | Wednesday December 20, 2017 16:32
BVF is still to secure a sponsor for the club competition following the departure of Mascom at the end of last season.
BVF spokesperson, Kagiso Meswele told Mmegi Sport that lack of action had a negative impact on the players. He said clubs depend on the league to gauge their preparedness and when there is nothing happening it becomes difficult to plan. Meswele said the players lacked motivation due to lack of action. He said the situation also affected national teams. However, Meswele said negotiations are at an advanced stage with a potential league sponsor for next year.
Police VI went to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe as defending champions after winning the club championship in Namibia last December. The side, did not last long in the competition as they were knocked out by University of Johannesburg (UJ). BDF VI made it to the women’s final against Harare City where they lost 3-1. Local teams went to the championship on the back foot owing to lack of action this year.
Meanwhile, Meswele said teams from other countries go an extra mile when they prepare for local teams. He said they know that Botswana teams cannot be undermined.
“They know that our teams are strong and that is why they threw everything at us. Police being knocked out by UJ was not a surprise. You must realise that South African teams always have a way of planning for us. UJ had a good defence and they also used experienced players to set. That made the job for Police players difficult. They could not penetrate UJ and those tactics separated the two sides,” he said.
Meswele said BDF did a splendid job by reaching the final especially that the side finished in fourth position in the local league. He said BDF played their hearts out but playing against the host is always a challenge because they have the motivation from supporters. Meswele said BVF has more activities when compared to other federations in the region.
BDF coach, Andrew Moleleke said he was impressed with the performance of his players especially that they were making their Zone VI debut. “I have been working on them, making sure that they attend morning and afternoon training sessions. Upon arrival in Zimbabwe, I told them to believe in themselves, stick to the game plan and that worked to perfection,” Moleleke said.
He said the plan for next year is to continue where they left and make sure that they improve their league position.