Promoted back to the Gaborone Region Division One in their second season after relegation, they went on to lift the national championship last term after finishing second to Double Action in their first try. Now, as they head to South Africa for the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA qualifiers, the Red Roses are once again banking on their 'second bite of the cherry' magic. Last year, the side came agonisingly close, finishing runners-up and missing a ticket to the continental finals in a cruel penalty shootout. But speaking at a press briefing yesterday, Red Roses general manager, Owe Mmolawa, said this time they want history to repeat itself, but with a different ending on this occasion.
He said the ambition is to become the first local side to feature in the Champions League finals. Mmolawa said lessons were learnt from last year’s edition in Malawi, and this time they have put everything in place to boost the playing squad, the technical team and the support personnel. He further said that success has never been accidental for the GU Ladies. “In any tournament or competition we play in, the graph is always on the rise. The first time we become runners-up, the second time we win it. Gaborone City Region, we became runners-up to Double Action, and the next season, you know what happened. In the DTCB Championship, the same story. Last year in Malawi, we came in second. This year, your guess is as good as mine. This is not luck, it is planned. We learn, we prepare, then we come back stronger,” he said. Red Roses are in Group B with Young Buffaloes of Eswatini and Lesotho’s Kick4Life FC. They open their campaign tomorrow at midday against Buffaloes at UJ AW Muller Stadium before returning to the same venue on Wednesday for a noon kick-off against Kick4Life. Head coach William 'Raizor' Monene, who is making his fourth appearance at the tournament, set the team’s minimum target. “If you look at my graph as an individual, it has been growing well at the tournament. You can agree with me or disagree that if I do not do well, I should at least maintain last year’s position,” he said.
