08 May 2017

With only two months left to host the Netball World Youth Cup, Botswana under 21 netball team coach, Setshedi Botlhole-Mmopi is sceptical with her team’s preparations.

Botlhole-Mmopi said in an interview that she was worried that it was always difficult for her team to train as a unit given they do not stay together in camp.

“Obviously if  a player does not train with the entire team, she will find it difficult to gel with other players because the tempo will be very high. Our main challenge is that despite using ReaBaTsaa Netball Tournament as a preparatory for the coming Netball World Youth Cup, we are faced with serious challenges,” she said.

She said the key to have all the players in camp was to make an arrangement that all those who were going to school could be released and a tutor engaged so that they were not disadvantaged regarding their academics.

Furthermore, she said they were left with only two months before the games, but said she was worried because already there was a sign of disparities amongst the players.

“We should be leaving on May 24 for our training camp in Australia, but we do not have all the players in camp, so we are disadvantaging a team that otherwise would be able to perform well,” she said.

Furthermore, she said Botswana has talented players who could shock the world in July, adding that if they did not prepare together as a team, it would always remain a big challenge.

“Sometimes you can even frustrate those who are available because we might end up over-loading them, and chances of them getting injured remains high because you over work them because others are not available,” she said.

Botswana Netball Association (BONA) president, Tebogo Lebotse-Sebego said they were aware of the challenge of player’s availability.

She however said BONA would not compromise the player’s future given that some were doing Form Five while others were doing their first year at tertiary.

“We do have others who are doing Form One, but remember we only have one School of Excellence that accommodates netball at Mogoditshane Senior, so in a nutshell they take only Form Fours and Five, at the moment there is nowhere we can take them. So we will try to improve,”she said.

Lebotse-Sebego said they need parent consent to move their children, adding that it was not always simple for parents to agree that their children’s education should be disturbed by sport.

Meanwhile, the men’s team are still perched at the top of the Rea Ba Tsaa Netball Tournament log standing with 10 points, they managed to win all their five games.

On position two is Botswana under 21 who managed to beat Jungle Queens 17-53 on Sunday at Botswana Netball Association courts. Out of five games they won four lost one and have accumulated eight points.

Position three is BDF cats with six points having played five games.  They won three, lost two and have six points.

Notwane is seating on position five with four points, followed by Jungle Queens with two points, while Botswana Select is at the sixth position. Out of all their games, they are yet to register a single draw or a win. ends