BDF Cats hosts 'Find The Ball' Tournament

NELSON DIRENG
Correspondent | Friday July 16, 2010 00:00

 

The event will be staged at the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) and will feature clubs from Botswana (seven), Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Botswana sides include defending champions BDF Cats, Flying Hawks, Pink Roses, Jungle Queens and Task.

The tournament is held in memory of the late Anthony 'Find The Ball' Masogo, a former BDF Cats' netball coach.The theme of the tournament is 'Interaction through sport regardless of gender' as Masogo is a pioneer coach of one of the first male netball teams in Botswana. He is the founder of the first BDF Cats and Tlokweng College of Education (TCE) male netball teams. 'This is the only Botswana netball tournament that involves male players,' said BONA publicity and marketing manager, Bakwena Oitsile. He said the annual tournament takes place in July, the month of Masogo's death. He said that BONA supports such tournaments as they improve players' level of competence. 'It is always good for individual clubs to organise competitions outside the league,' he said.

Despite the participation of a men's team, Oitsile said BONA does not plan to establish a male side soon. 'We have tried establishing one in the past but it just didn't materialise,' he said. He said that initiatives such as 'Find The Ball' are a positive step towards abolishing the discrimination of males in netball. 'We will take it step by step and hopefully, we will find ourselves with established netball sides such as those in South Africa,' he said.

Five games will be played today. Mascom, Yarona Country Lodge, Butterfield (Mogoditshane), Ambiky Motors and Safari Computers are sponsoring the competition.