14 Aug 2014

Gaborone Hydraulics recently donated 25 sets of tracksuits worth P20 000 to Jwaneng based Lollipop Galaxy Football Club.

The youth club comprises of local out of school youth who formed the club to keep themselves busy and away from social ills.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony of the donation in Jwaneng recently, Gaborone Hydraulics marketing director, Lovemore Diya said the donation was the beginning of a long journey and partnership between his company and the youth club.

He said the club’s founder had long approached his company in 2010 but could not assist immediately since they were still recovering from recession.

Diya however, noted that as a company they were grateful to have finally heeded the call and made a difference in the lives of young people.

He encouraged the team mates to be focused in life so that eventually they could achieve their intended goals, be it in football or in life in general. 

He urged them to emulate local and international players who had taken soccer as their professional career path.

This, he noted, they could only achieve if they aimed high and strived towards reaching their goals.

“You should not only aim high and dream big, but also work hard towards achieving that kind of life,” he said.

He also implored them to keep away from alcohol and drug abuse as they could destroy their lives.

Furthermore, Diya applauded the club’s founder, Nametsegang Maabanyane for keeping young people away from the streets and encouraging them to indulge in something worthwhile.

For her part, Maabanyane said her dream to help unemployed youth started in 2010 when she saw the need to refrain her son and his friends from wayward behavior. She noted that she realised that they had a common passion for football, hence the formation of the club.

She said even though she does not earn much at her job, so far she had managed to keep the team going by digging from her pockets. 

She has also successfully negotiated with a local primary school for the team to use its playgrounds for training.

Lollipop Galaxy FC spokesperson, Mogotsi Mogotsi applauded Gaborone Hydraulics for their good gesture, saying the nation would motivate the team to perform better.

He said even though they had two kits, they badly needed the tracksuits to cater for cold weather during camps.

He said his team, which had been participating in Constituency tournaments since its formation, aspired to eventually make it to the elite Premier League.  ENDS