The team is fresh from its second Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) finals appearance in Morocco, where it failed to progress beyond the group stages. They bowed out after two losses and one win, where they scored two goals and conceded three. This was a result similar to their maiden 2022 outing, but this time they missed the quarterfinals. On Wednesday, the Botswana Football Association (BFA) and its partners hosted an appreciation session for the team at Lekidi Football Centre. Mahlasela used the occasion to urge football leaders and stakeholders to improve the team’s incentives and bonuses. Mahlasela said on the continent, Mares compete against teams that are better resourced, and called on the BFA to benchmark from such setups if the Mares are to improve their results. “When we benchmark the technical aspect and all that, let us see how other countries take care of their teams. I am not saying we are not appreciating everything that is done for us but at times we go to a competition and meet the teams that are highly motivated because of whatever aspects I cannot talk about now. But please let us look into those things if we are trying to improve, and I am talking about issues like our incentives and bonuses," said Mahlasela.
She recalled how monetary motivation played a role during the 2020 COSAFA Women’s Championship semi-final against Zambia. Mahlasela revealed that then-Sports minister, Tumiso Rakgare called the squad in the dressing room before kick-off and promised a P250,000 bonus. The Mares went on to stun Zambia 2-1 to book their first-ever COSAFA final spot. “If anyone knows what happened in that game are these ladies (Mares) here. We fought and fought hard, and you know that the Zambian team went to qualify for the Olympics but we fought and we won that game. So this is a way of showing that money injection is very important or should I say encouragement of that manner would be kind," she said. Mahlasela, however, expressed gratitude for the support the team continues to receive, whilst acknowledging the financial constraints facing football and sport in general. For his part, Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) chairperson, Marumo Morule admitted the current incentive roll-out remains low but assured the team their concerns were heard. “The (vice captain’s) message was loud and clear, and you are preaching to the converted and I agree with you. We are doing the best we can. It is not enough and we can do better,” Morule said.
